Real Madrid, Manchester City both humiliated in Champions League, Liverpool enjoys Alonso's return

European heavyweights Real Madrid and Manchester City both suffered big defeats in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Defending champion Madrid was humbled 3-1 at home by AC Milan, while Erling Haaland missed a penalty and City squandered a fourth-minute lead as it lost 4-1 at Sporting Lisbon, whose coach will soon take charge of its crosstown rival.

It was a much better evening for Liverpool, as Luis Diaz scored a hat trick and Cody Gakpo grabbed another goal in a 4-0 win over German champion Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield that marred Xabi Alonso’s return to his old home.

The Leverkusen coach was given a warm welcome on his return to the club where he became a fan favorite as a player over five seasons between 2004-09. Alonso won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005.

Liverpool moved top of the league phase table with four wins from four games, followed by Sporting and Monaco, both on 10 points after three wins and a draw. Under the new 36-team format introduced by UEFA this season, the top eight teams advance directly to the next round, and those from ninth to 24th enter playoffs to reach it, while the bottom 12 are eliminated.

Before their game, Sporting fans displayed a huge tifo thanking Rúben Amorim in his last home game before he takes over Manchester United.

Phil Foden then got City off to a flying start in the fourth minute, only the second goal Sporting has conceded in four games of the competition.

But Swedish forward Viktor Gyökeres scored a hat trick as Sporting came roaring back. Gyökeres first equalized in the 38th after a perfect through ball from Geovany Quenda, before Maximiliano Araújo made it 2-1 right after the break. Gyökeres then made it 3-1 from the penalty spot after Joško Gvardiol was penalized for a shove on Francisco Trincão in the area.

Haaland’s penalty hit the crossbar, before Gyökeres showed the Norwegian how it’s done with another spot kick at the other end to complete the scoring.

It is the first time since 2018 that City has lost three straight games, coming off a defeat to Tottenham in the English League Cup and a loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League.

“In my seven and a half years at the club, I don't remember losing three games in a row,” City midfielder Bernardo Silva said.

In Spain, Christian Pulisic sent in a corner for Malick Thiaw to head Milan into a 12th-minute lead, ensuring Madrid trailed in a third straight game in the Champions League this season. The 15-time champion had already lost to surprise team Lille in their second game.

Vinícius Júnior equalized from the penalty spot in the 23rd after he’d been tripped, but Álvaro Morata pounced on the rebound after Andriy Lunin saved Rafael Leão’s shot to restore the visitors’ lead against his former club.

Morata had already been given a hostile reception from the home fans, who evidently remember the goal he scored to take Juventus through to the 2015 final at their team’s expense.

Tijjani Reijnders scored Milan’s third goal as the home fans made their frustrations known at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

“The last two defeats are inexplicable. We have to analyze and react quickly," Lunin said, referring to Madrid's 4-0 loss to Barcelona in its previous Spanish league game.

It's the first time since 2009 that Madrid has lost two successive games at home with at least three goals conceded in each, according to Opta.

“We have to get back on track,” Lunin said.

German forward Nicolas Kühn scored twice as Celtic defeated Leipzig 3-1 at home, and Juventus drew 1-1 at Lille.

Lille midfielder Edon Zhegrova eluded two defenders before playing a perfect pass for Jonathan David, who fired inside the far post, but Dušan Vlahović equalized with a penalty for the Italian club.

Donyell Malen scored late for Borussia Dortmund to beat Sturm Graz 1-0 at home, and Thilo Kehrer did likewise for Monaco to win at Bologna 1-0.

United States midfielder Malik Tillman scored one goal and set up another as PSV Eindhoven beat Spanish team Girona 4-0.

Dinamo Zagreb dealt Slovan Bratislava its fourth straight defeat in the competition as the visitors came from behind to win 4-1 in Bratislava.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Sporting players toss coach Ruben Amorim into the air during the UEFA Champions League opening phase soccer match between Sporting and Manchester City in Lisbon, Portugal, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Sporting players celebrate after a goal during the UEFA Champions League opening phase match between Sporting and Manchester City in Lisbon, Portugal, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland reacts after missing a penalty kick during the UEFA Champions League opening phase match between Sporting and Manchester City in Lisbon, Portugal, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Sporting players toss coach Ruben Amorim during the UEFA Champions League opening phase match between Sporting and Manchester City in Lisbon, Portugal, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Sporting's head coach Ruben Amorim leaves the pitch after the UEFA Champions League opening phase match between Sporting and Manchester City in Lisbon, Portugal, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, right, and AC Milan's Yunus Musah battle for the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, front, and AC Milan's Emerson Royal battle for the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders, right, celebrates after scoring his side's 3rd goal against Real Madrid during the Champions League opening phase soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders (14) celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's 3rd goal against Real Madrid during the Champions League opening phase soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

AC Milan's Alvaro Morata celebrates after scoring his side's 2nd goal against Real Madrid during the Champions League opening phase soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

PSV's Malik Tillman, left, and Girona's Silvi Club fight for the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between PSV Eindhoven and Girona at Philips stadium in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

PSV's Malik Tillman, center, scores his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between PSV Eindhoven and Girona at Philips stadium in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

PSV's Malik Tillman, foreground, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between PSV Eindhoven and Girona at Philips stadium in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

PSV's Malik Tillman, left, scores his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between PSV Eindhoven and Girona at Philips stadium in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The highly decorated Army soldier inside a Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks that exploded outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas shot himself in the head just before detonation, authorities said Thursday.

The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people but virtually no damage to the hotel. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret, likely planned a more damaging attack but the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the force from the crudely built explosive.

Damage from the blast was mostly limited to the interior of the truck because the explosion “vented out and up” and didn’t hit the Trump hotel doors just a few feet away, the sheriff said.

“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,” said Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge for the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Authorities are still working to determine a motive.

“It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building, that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggests it was because of this particular ideology,” said Spencer Evans, the Las Vegas FBI’s special agent in charge.

Livelsberger had recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave when he died, according to a U.S. official.

A law enforcement official said investigators learned through interviews that he may have gotten into a fight with his wife about relationship issues shortly before he rented the Tesla and bought the guns. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Among the charred items found inside the truck were a handgun at Livelsberger's feet, another firearm, a number of fireworks, a passport, a military ID, credit cards, an iPhone and a smartwatch, McMahill said. Authorities said both guns were purchased legally.

Investigators identified the vehicle's driver — who was burned beyond recognition — as Livelsberger, of Colorado Springs, on Thursday. The cause of death was suicide by gunshot, according to the Clark County coroner.

Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners. He had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said.

He was awarded a total of five Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.

McMahill said Livelsberger rented the Tesla electric vehicle in Denver on Saturday and the sheriff displayed a map showing that it was charged in the Colorado town of Monument near Colorado Springs on Monday. On New Year’s Eve, it was charged in Trinidad, Colorado, and three towns in New Mexico along the Interstate 40 corridor.

Then on Wednesday, the day of the explosion, it was charged in three Arizona towns before video showed it on the Las Vegas Strip about 7:30 a.m.

McMahill said investigators obtained charging station photos showing Livelsberger “was the individual that was driving this vehicle” and was alone.

“We’re not aware of any other subjects involved in this particular case,” the sheriff said.

Authorities searched a townhouse in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday as part of the investigation. Neighbors said the man who lived there had a wife and a baby and did not give any sign of posing a danger to anyone.

Cindy Helwig, who lives diagonally across a narrow street separating the homes, said she last saw the man she knew as Matthew about two weeks ago when he asked her if she had a tool he needed to fix the SUV he was working on.

“He was a normal guy,” said Helwig, who said she last saw his wife and baby earlier this week. Helwig noted that people in the townhome on a hill with views of the mountains don’t interact much except for when they’re getting the mail or walking their dogs.

The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 14 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack. The FBI said Thursday that they believe Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others.

Both Livelsberger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to multiple Army special operations units. However, one of the officials who spoke to the AP said there is no overlap in their assignments at the base, now called Fort Liberty.

Chris Raia, FBI deputy assistant director, said Thursday that officials have found “no definitive link” between the New Orleans attack and the truck explosion in Las Vegas.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself."

Musk has recently become a member of President-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk was in Las Vegas early Wednesday. Both had attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at his South Florida estate.

Musk spent an estimated $250 million during the presidential campaign to support the former president. He was at Trump’s resort on election night and has been a frequent guest there. Trump has named Musk, the world’s richest man, to co-lead a new effort to find ways to cut the government’s size and spending.

Copp, Richer and Long contributed from Washington. Contributing were Associated Press writers Rio Yamat and Ken Ritter in Las Vegas; Colleen Slevin in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.

A car drives out of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

People walk by Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

A Tesla Cybertruck pulls into Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows items found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows a passport belonging to Matthew Livelsberger, found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows items found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows a weapon found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows the Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows an ID belonging to Matthew Livelsberger, found inside a Tesla Cybertruck involved in an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP)

Investigators search a townhouse in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Parker Seibold /The Gazette via AP)

Investigators search a townhouse in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Parker Seibold /The Gazette via AP)

Investigators search the garbage outside of a townhouse in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Parker Seibold /The Gazette via AP)

Investigators enter a townhouse in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

Investigators stand outside a townhouse complex in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)