Borussia Dortmund defender Marc Bartra described the bomb attack on the team coach in which he was injured as the "hardest 15 minutes" of his life. Dealing with this is a process that will go on for days and weeks.
The game was put back to Wednesday and passed without incident, although both before and after the match Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel heavily criticised UEFA's decision to reschedule so swiftly.
One of the letters, published by Bild, starts with the Islamic phrase "In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" and demands the withdrawal of German Tornado surveillance planes from Syria and the closure of the USA military air base in Ramstein, Germany.
Borussia Dortmund's Champions League last 16 first leg with Monaco on Wednesday night took on extra meaning.
Bartra was the only player injured in the bomb blast - though the rest of the team were left shaken.
But Tuchel claimed the club was informed of UEFA's decision by text message and they were left feeling powerless.
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"They are my everything, the reason I struggle to overcome obstacles and this has been the worst of my life, an experience I would not want anyone in this world (to have)", he wrote. It felt lousy. And that sticks with us. "He was in a daze for five minutes and he didn't know what was going on". We were treated as if a beer can was thrown at the bus. It gives you a feeling of impotence. "We weren't asked about playing the game". An emotional Sahin appears visibly still shook and trying to come to terms with what he has experienced in the past 24 hours. Would UEFA still have used the excuse that there were no alternative dates available and Monaco had to get home for another game this weekend?
Roy Keane and Lee Dixon spoke on ITV last night about the "shocking scenes" on Tuesday night.
Dixon echoed the cries of Tuchel after the game, insisting that UEFA should have considered the distress of the players and at least consulted them before giving the game the go-ahead the following evening.
"I'm doing better now, it (the game) was good as a distraction", said 23-year-old Germany worldwide Matthias Ginter in barely more than a whisper. I am happy that all the players are alive, and all the staff are alive.
But that still begs the question, should it be up to the Dortmund players, who had seen their teammate, Bartra, go off in an ambulance and had not yet returned to their families, to agree to play and carry that burden of showing they won't "bend before terror"? "Is it okay?'" Dixon said. "But we will tell you exactly which team when we want to tell you".
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