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Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki admits struggling to sleep after bomb attack on team bus

'I still have problems sleeping. ... That's the worst thing, that I can't sleep through the night,' said Burki, who was sitting next to Marc Bartra at the time of the attack

Ciaran Fahey
Monday 17 April 2017 09:44 BST
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Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki says he's still having trouble sleeping after the attack on his team's bus, and couldn't concentrate in the Champions League match a day later.

The Switzerland international was sitting next to defender Marc Bartra, the only player wounded, when three explosions went off as the team headed to the venue of its quarterfinal match against Monaco Tuesday.

The game was rescheduled for the following day.

Borussia Dortmund bus blasts injure player Marc Bartra

Bürki told Swiss daily Der Bund: “I still have problems sleeping. ... That's the worst thing, that I can't sleep through the night. When I wake up, I'm glad that I'm in bed at home.”’

He said that, during Wednesday's match, “I noticed everything on the field a bit later, as if I had a veil in front of my eyes.”

Bürki performed better in Dortmund’s 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday, which marked the return of Marco Reus, who scored after just two minutes.

Burki wore a Bartra shirt before the match against Monaco (Getty)

Reus' return after six weeks out was a welcome boost for a side still struggling to deal with Tuesday's bomb attack on the team bus in Dortmund in which defender Marc Bartra was wounded.

“It was a great performance of character that cannot be rated highly enough from my side,” coach Thomas Tuchel said as Dortmund consolidated fourth place amid increased security.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sent the ball forward and Christian Pulisic looked up before pulling the ball back for Reus to score with his heel.

“Gol!!!!!” said Bartra on Twitter.

The Spanish defender, who had an operation after injuries to his hand and arm, was able to watch the game at home following his release earlier after four nights in the hospital.

Marco Fabian equalized inside the half-hour mark with a brilliant strike in off the top of the post from 25 yards, but Sokratis Papastathopoulos restored the home side's lead in spectacular fashion a little more than five minutes later.

Sokratis, a defender, wrong-footed one of his counterparts with a dummy and let fly inside the far post.

Reus, who was busy throughout the first half, was taken off at the break with a view to the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal in Monaco next Wednesday.

Dortmund fans show their support for Marc Bartra (Getty)

“Just a precaution,” said Dortmund, which lost the postponed first leg 3-2 one day after the bomb blasts.

Ousmane Dembele, who came on for Reus, set up Aubameyang to seal it late on a counterattack. It took Aubameyang's tally to a league-leading 26 goals, level with Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski.

Afterward, Dortmund players held up a Bartra jersey in front of the Westfalenstadion's south stand, where fans chanted his name.

“An emotional moment,” Tuchel said.

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