Merino lucky 'to be alive' after Dortmund bus attack

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has revealed he feels 'fortunate to be alive' after a 2017 bomb attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus, when he was 20 years old and playing for the club. Three pipe bombs exploded next to the bus as Dortmund were travelling to the Westfalenstadion for a Champions League quarterfinal match, causing the bus to nearly tip over. Defender Marc Bartra was the most seriously injured, suffering a badly cut wrist, and Merino disclosed in an interview with The Players Tribune that a piece of shrapnel was lodged in a seat he had vacated shortly before the attack.