Man City and Bayern stay perfect in Women's Champions League. Barcelona and Arsenal win big

Manchester City and Bayern Munich stayed perfect in the Women’s Champions League halfway through the group stage on Tuesday, while two-time defending champion Barcelona and Arsenal recorded big wins.

City leads Group D with nine points after the English league leader beat Hammarby 2-0 at home. Barcelona is second, trailing by three points, followed by Hammarby on three and St. Pölten without a point.

Barcelona earlier thrashed St. Pölten 7-0. Claudia Pina led the demolition with two goals. It followed another massive win for Barcelona, 9-0 over Hammarby in the previous round.

Arsenal is recovering from a poor start to the season, scoring four goals in the second straight game in the competition as it won 4-0 at Juventus.

The Gunners are second in Group C with six points, three behind leader Bayern, which eased past pointless newcomer Vålerenga 3-0. Juventus has three points.

It took Barcelona 32 minutes to break the deadlock

Ona Batlle crossed from the left for Ewa Pajor to net the opener from close range. Then another four goals came within seven minutes as Barcelona was rewarded for its dominance.

Francisca Nazareth scored in the 38th minute, slotting home a loose ball. Aitana Bonmatí made it 3-0 on a rebound after Carina Schlüter parried a fierce drive by Vicky Lopez.

Keira Walsh’s clinical finish from outside the area and Pina’s volley for her first made it 5-0 at halftime.

Pina added her second from the spot after the interval before Caroline Graham Hansen finished it off.

Led by interim head coach Renée Slegers, Arsenal continues to recover from its 5-2 loss to Bayern in the opening round and earlier poor form in its domestic league.

Boosted by a 5-0 victory over Brighton in the Women’s Super League on Friday, the Gunners showed the same ruthlessness in Europe.

Frida Maanum put Arsenal ahead late in the first half against Juve, a team which dominates the Italian league. Late goals from two substitutes, Stina Blackstenius and Mariona Caldentey, put the result beyond doubt before Caitlin Foord finished off the emphatic win.

Pernille Harder found the back of the net again for Bayern. The Denmark veteran headed in the opener early in the game for her fifth goal of the campaign to remain the competition’s top scorer this season.

Many more goals looked inevitable but only two came despite numerous chances.

Giulia Gwinn doubled the advantage from the spot in the 17th minute, sending goalkeeper Tove Enblom the wrong way.

Sarah Zadrazil added the third with a looping shot in second-half stoppage time.

Without injured star signing Vivianne Miedema, City was held at bay by the visitors in the first half.

The 28-year-old Netherlands forward had another operation on her troublesome left knee last month, and it’s not clear when she might be able to return.

The first goal came soon after the interval from midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown, who joined City from Aston Villa in January.

Forward Aoba Fujino made it 2-0 with a header 10 minutes from time.

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

Manchester City's Khadija Shaw, center, and Hammaby IF's Eva Nystrom, left, challenge for the ball during the women's Champions League soccer match between Manchester City FC and Hammarby IF in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Manchester City's Khadija Shaw, center, is fouled by Hammaby IF's Emilie Joramo, left. and Eva Nystrom, right, during the women's Champions League soccer match between Manchester City FC and Hammarby IF in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Bayern's Sarah Zadrazil, background right, smiles after scoring her side's third goal during the women's Champions League group C soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Valerenga at the FC Bayern Campus in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Julia Zigotti Olme jumps for the ball with Valerenga's Linn Vickius, background, during the women's Champions League group C soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Valerenga at the FC Bayern Campus in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Pernille Harder scores the opening goal past Valerenga goalkeeper Tove Enblom during the women's Champions League group C soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Valerenga at the FC Bayern Campus in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius, left, celebrates scoring her side's second goal during the women's Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Arsenal at the Vittorio Pozzo La Marmora Stadium in Biella, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius scores her side's second goal during the women's Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Arsenal at the Vittorio Pozzo La Marmora Stadium in Biella, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Arsenal's Frida Leonhardsen Maanum celebrates after scoring during the women's Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Arsenal at the Vittorio Pozzo La Marmora Stadium in Biella, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Arsenal's Frida Leonhardsen Maanum celebrates after scoring during the women's Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Arsenal at the Vittorio Pozzo La Marmora Stadium in Biella, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers sits on the bench ahead of the women's Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Arsenal at the Vittorio Pozzo La Marmora Stadium in Biella, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius scores her side's second goal during the women's Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Arsenal at the Vittorio Pozzo La Marmora Stadium in Biella, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Arsenal's Frida Leonhardsen Maanum, right, and Juventus' Eva Schatzer vie for the ball during the women's Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Arsenal at the Vittorio Pozzo La Marmora Stadium in Biella, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Bayern's Sarah Zadrazil, second left, is congratulated by teammate Glodis Viggosdottir after scoring her side's third goal during the women's Champions League group C soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Valerenga at the FC Bayern Campus in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Manchester City's Mary Fowler, right, and Hammaby IF's Stina Lennartsson, left, challenge for the ball during the women's Champions League soccer match between Manchester City FC and Hammarby IF in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius celebrates scoring her side's second goal during the women's Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Arsenal at the Vittorio Pozzo La Marmora Stadium in Biella, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Manchester City's Aoba Fujino, left, celebrates after scoring her side's second goal during the women's Champions League soccer match between Manchester City FC and Hammarby IF in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Manchester City's Laura Blindkilde, center, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the women's Champions League soccer match between Manchester City FC and Hammarby IF in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Bayern's Pernille Harder, right, scores the opening goall during the women's Champions League group C soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Valerenga at the FC Bayern Campus in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Manchester City's Aoba Fujino, right, scores her side's second goal during the women's Champions League soccer match between Manchester City FC and Hammarby IF in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The FBI now says the New Orleans truck attacker acted alone in an “act of terrorism” when he drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers early Wednesday, killing 14 people. The driver had posted videos on social media hours before the carnage saying he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressing a desire to kill, President Joe Biden said.

The FBI identified the driver as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar.

Officials have not yet released the names of the people killed in the attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories. About 30 people were injured.

Here is the latest:

Crowds are already flocking to the Caesars Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl. Alongside food trucks and foot traffic, a fleet of armored vehicles maintains a watchful presence.

Heaven Sensky-Kirsch says her father, Jeremi Sensky, endured 10 hours of surgery for injuries from the truck attack that included two broken legs. He was taken off a ventilator Thursday.

Jeremi Sensky was ejected from the wheelchair he has used since a 1999 car accident and had bruises to his face and head, Sensky-Kirsch said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

Sensky, 51, had driven from his home in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, to New Orleans to celebrate the holiday.

He and his wife, his daughter, his son-in-law and two friends stopped for a few days in Nashville before arriving in New Orleans.

Before the attack, Sensky and the two friends had been having pizza, his daughter said. Sensky left them to return to his hotel on Canal Street because he felt cold, she said.

Sensky-Kirsch said others could see the attacker coming and were able to run out of the way, but her father “was stuck on the road.”

When he didn’t return to the hotel, they went to look for him, ending up in an emergency room, she said.

“We thought he was dead,” Sensky-Kirsch said. “We can’t believe he’s alive.”

As New Orleans approaches the start of its carnival season on Monday, a monthslong period leading up to Mardi Gras, the city normally celebrates with parades and king cake.

But Kim Do, 47, whose Hi-Do bakery is a beloved supplier of the carnival treat, says she worries that orders for the biggest moneymaker of her family-run business will be significantly down.

“The mood in the city, we feel it today, I don’t know how we’re going to move forward after this tragedy,” Do said.

“I personally would be scared to even go out there, to be in the parades — I think there’s going to be a lot less people, a lot less activities,” she said. “I think the city will try to go back to the normal stuff as much as possible but I think we’re all going to be a little more cautious.”

Fifteen people were killed in the attack, said Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counter-terrorism division. That number includes the 14 victims killed plus the assailant, Shamsud-Din Jabbar.

“We know that he specifically picked out Bourbon Street, not sure why,” said Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division.

“He was 100 percent inspired by ISIS,” he added.

“The city of New Orleans, we’re resilient,” New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell said.

“The confidence is there to reopen Bourbon Street to the public before game time today,” Cantrell added.

The FBI obtained surveillance video of Shamsud Din Jabbar placing the explosive devices where they were found, said Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counter-terrorism division.

The FBI also found “no definitive link” between the New Orleans attack and the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas.

The FBI has received more than 400 tips from the public, some from New Orleans and others from other states, Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counter-terrorism division, said at a news conference on Thursday.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday evening the FBI was looking into whether an explosion outside a Las Vegas hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump was connected to the New Orleans attack.

Fireworks and camp fuel canisters were found in a Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside the Trump International Hotel early Wednesday, killing a suspect inside the vehicle.

The person who died in the explosion was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier who spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. The officials also spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of his service.

The truck explosion came hours after a driver, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans. Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, also spent time at Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command. An official told the AP that there is no apparent overlap in their assignments there.

The investigation so far has not shown the incidents are related, and authorities don’t think the men knew each other, two law enforcement officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

▶ Read more about the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion

The FBI says it recovered the black banner of the Islamic State group from the truck that smashed into New Year’s partygoers. The investigation is expected to look in part at any support or inspiration that driver Shamsud-Din Jabbar may have drawn from that violent Middle East-based group or from any of at least 19 affiliated groups around the world.

Routed from its self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq by a U.S. military-led coalition more than five years ago, IS has focused on seizing territory in the Middle East more than on staging massive al-Qaida-style attacks on the West.

But in its home territory, IS has welcomed any chance to behead Americans and other foreigners who come within its reach. The main group at peak strength claimed a handful of coordinated operations targeting the West, including a 2015 Paris plot that killed 130 people. It has had success, although abated in recent years, in inspiring people around the world who are drawn to its ideology to carry out ghastly attacks on innocent civilians.

▶ Read more about IS and what attacks it has inspired

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry will be joined at the news conference by officials from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Police Department.

The conference is scheduled to begin around 10:15 a.m. CST.

“The Superdome is completely secure,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said on Fox News. “Again, the FBI continues to pour resources into the state.”

Landry said he plans to attend Thursday afternoon’s college football playoff game between the University of Georgia and the University of Notre Dame.

“We need not let fear paralyze us,” Landry added. “That’s the problem in this country. When we do that, the terrorists win.”

ROME — A telegram of condolences, addressed to Archbishop Gregory Aymond, said Francis was saddened to learn of the attack in New Orleans and was spiritually close to the city.

Francis “prays for healing and consolation of the injured and bereaved,” said the telegram, which was signed by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Separately, Italian President Sergio Mattarella also sent condolences to President Joe Biden, whom he will see during Biden’s visit to Rome next week, saying all of Italy was mourning the loss of life.

“At this time of sorrow for the American people, I would like to reaffirm the firm resolve of the Italian Republic to oppose in the strongest terms all forms of terrorism, on the basis of those values of civilization, democracy and respect for human life that have always been shared with the United States,” he said in a statement.

The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed by a day because of the truck attack, which unfolded about a mile away.

The game, originally scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CST at the 70,000-seat Superdome on Wednesday, was pushed back to 3 p.m. Thursday. The winner advances to the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl against Penn State.

“Public safety is paramount,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said at a media briefing alongside federal, state and local officials, including Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “All parties all agree that it’s in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game.”

The decision to postpone the game meant numerous traveling fans with tickets would not be able to attend. Ticket prices online plummeted in some cases to less than $25 as fans with plans to depart on Thursday tried to unload them.

The Superdome was on lockdown for security sweeps on Wednesday morning. Both teams spent most of the day in their hotels, holding meetings in ballrooms.

▶ Read more about the decision to postpone the Sugar Bowl

Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year’s Day truck attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories.

Here’s a look at some of what we know:

▶ Read more about the victims of the New Orleans truck attack

Authorities say the driver of a pickup truck sped through a crowd of pedestrians gathered in New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter district early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people and injuring about 30 others. The suspect was killed in a shootout with police.

The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism and said it does not believe the driver acted alone.

Wednesday’s attack unfolded on Bourbon Street, known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties. Large crowds had also gathered in the city ahead of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl, which had been scheduled for later Wednesday at the nearby Superdome. The game was postponed until Thursday afternoon following the attack.

▶ Catch up on what we know about the New Orleans truck attack

Fans pass through security check points as they enter the Caesars Superdome fan zone ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Street view of Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Fans pass through security check points as they enter the Superdome fan zone ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Security and bomb sniffing dogs check vehicles as they enter the Superdome parking garage ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Security with bomb sniffing dogs patrol the area around the Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Military personnel walk down Bourbon street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A state trooper stands by New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Emergency personnel work the scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street, Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The FBI investigates the area on Orleans St and Bourbon Street by St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter where a suspicious package was detonated after a person drove a truck into a crowd earlier on Bourbon Street on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Matthias Hauswirth of New Orleans prays on the street near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A bouquet of flowers stands at the intersection of Bourbon Street and Canal Street during the investigation after a pickup truck rammed into a crowd of revelers early on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

An officer walks along Conti Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Law enforcement officers stand behind a SWAT vehicle near a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Investigators work the scene after a person drove a vehicle into a crowd earlier on Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Neighbors stand and watch outside the police lines surrounding a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Police officers stand near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Neighbors embrace as they stand outside the police lines surrounding a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)