Wounded Bartra says blasts 'hardest 15 minutes' of his life

AP , Friday 14 Apr 2017

Bartra
Borussia Dortmund's Marc Bartra who was injured when blasts hit Dortmund's team bus.(Reuters)

Marc Bartra, who was wounded in an attack on the team bus of German soccer club Borussia Dortmund, says the experience was the ''hardest 15 minutes'' of his life.

The Spaniard underwent surgery following injuries to his wrist and arm after three explosions shattered a window of the bus ahead of Tuesday's scheduled Champions League quarterfinal against Monaco in Dortmund.

''The pain, the panic and the uncertainty of not knowing what was going on, or how long it would last ... were the longest and hardest 15 minutes of my life,'' the 26-year-old defender wrote on Instagram on Friday. He was the only player to receive serious injuries in the attack.

''I think that the shock is decreasing more and more and, at the same time, it adds to the desire to live, to fight, to work, to laugh, to cry, to feel, to love,'' Bartra said. ''The only thing I ask is for everyone to live in peace and to leave behind the wars.''

Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel said Bartra will be out for about four weeks.

Tuesday's first-leg match was postponed and rescheduled for Wednesday, with Monaco winning 3-2.

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