Nantes' mascot was forced off the pitch on a stretcher after being rugby tackled by his Rennes rival in bizarre scenes in France at the weekend.<br /><br />The club's cartoonish symbolic figure is a large yellow canary, designed after Nantes' nickname, and emerged worse for wear after a coming-together in the Derby Breton.<br /><br />During an apparent challenge involving both mascots at Roazhon Park, it was the costume-clad in Rennes red that emerged victorious in front of their home crowd.<br /><br /><br />However, their triumph came at a sore price, as revealed in hilarious footage. <br /><br />In a video shared by Amazon Prime Video, Rennes' mascot, a white ermine named Erminig, is seen clattering into the canary, forcing them down to the turf.<br /><br />Helpless to resist, Nantes' mascot took a tumble, their head flying off to one side.<br /><br />A quick cut to the aftermath revealed the extent of the damage, with a team of several paramedics placing the canary onto a stretcher and carrying them away. <br /><br />Strangely, between falling to the ground and being escorted away, the mascot was able to retrieve his head and put it back on, ensuring they remained in character.<br /><br />To add insult to apparent injury, a limp Nantes side crashed to a 3-1 defeat.<br /><br />Benjamin Bourigeaud opened the scoring after six minutes from the penalty spot, though Pedro Chirivella, who began his career on the books at Liverpool, equalized.<br /><br />However, the home side moved back in front through Desire Doue on 73 minutes and sealed all three points deep in stoppage time courtesy of yet another spot-kick.
