Nigerian man stabbed to death, has ears cut off in Moscow

            

MOSCOW A Nigerian man was found stabbed to death in southern Moscow with his ears cut off in a grisly murder, investigators said on Tuesday.

The body of the 28-year-old man, named as Akintola Olufemi, was "found with numerous stab wounds and with his ears cut off," lying close to rail tracks, the Investigative Committee wrote in a statement published on its website.

The man had been stabbed at least eight times, a spokesperson for the committee, Viktoria Tsyplenkova, told the Interfax news agency.

Moskovsky Komsomolets daily reported that the victim was a student in the northern city of Arkhangelsk and that the crime appeared not to have been a robbery as his papers and wallet were left at the scene.

Attacks against foreigners of non-European appearance occur regularly in Russia, although the authorities say that numbers have been dropping amid a crackdown on extremist organisations.

An NGO that monitors hate crimes, Sova, said in a report released in March that there were 37 hate killings in 2010, while 382 people were injured in attacks with racist or neo-nazi motives.

Emenike grabs hattrick for Spartak Moscow

  

MOSCOW Nigerian forward Emmanuel Emenike scored a hattrick as nine-time Russian champion Spartak Moscow trounced thrashed 3-0 city rivals Lokomotiv to stop the railway-backed side's 12-match unbeaten streak under Portuguese manager Jose Couceiro.

Spartak started in lively fashion, clinching the lead in the second minute through Emenike, who sent the ball into an unguarded post from three metres following Aiden McGeady's short cross.

Lokomotiv poured on the attack seeking an equaliser but Emenike made it

2-0 for Spartak in the 15th minute firing home from the edge of the box.

Emenike completed his hat-trick six minutes after the interval, scoring again from the edge of the area past Lokomotiv Brazilian goalie Guilherme.

In the closing stages Lokomotiv's Nigerian striker Victor Obinna reduced his team's chances of saving the day as he was sent off for two bookable offences, the pair of yellows received within just two minutes.

Meanwhile, Brazilian veteran Roberto Carlos, the co-manager of big-spending side Anzhi Makhachkala, finally notched his first win in the Russian league with a 2-1 success over visiting Amkar Perm on Saturday.

Russian international left-winger Yury Zhirkov, who joined Anzhi in August from English Premiership side Chelsea, put Anzhi into the lead, firing home a rebound after a corner with a help of a ricochet three minutes before the break.

Cameroon international striker Samuel Eto'o added a goal with nine minutes to go, firing into the top right corner from 20 metres to secure Makhachkala a well-deserved win.

Amkar's Ukrainian forward Ilya Mikhalev netted a late consolation in injury time with a 10-metre header but failed to save a point.

The win ended Anzhi's five-match winless streak and assured the side a top eight placing, sending them through to the title phase.

"We dominated the playing and should score much more goals today," Zhirkov said.

"But after missing a series of chances we lost the initiative and allowed Amkar to score. Luckily we managed to keep our lead through and clinch a place in the upper half of the league to play for the title next year."