Toulouse (France) - It could have ended badly! At a rugby match in Toulouse, the match ball was to be brought onto the pitch by parachutists gliding into the stadium. But that went badly wrong - the skydiver with the match ball got stuck in the stadium roof!

For the round of 16 of the Champions Cup, the highest European rugby cup competition, between Stade Toulousain and Sale Sharks, the officials in Toulouse had come up with something very special.

Three soldiers were to parachute into the arena, the last one with the match ball. But after the first two jumpers had landed safely on the pitch, the plan backfired!

A gust of wind caught the last parachutist, propelling him towards the roof of the stadium. He missed the structure himself, but the fabric of the parachute got caught in the roof construction.

The soldier dangled helplessly in the air by his parachute and was unable to free himself.

The spectators in the area directly below him had to leave their seats and mats were laid out instead - in case the parachute detached itself and the man fell into the depths.

After around 25 minutes, the fire department was finally able to free the soldier from his predicament, arriving with a turntable ladder and first releasing the jumper from his harness and then the tangled parachute from the stadium roof.

The all-clear was then given, and although the man looked shaken up, he was able to leave the stadium on his own and even carry his parachute out himself.

After a 40-minute delay, the match could finally be kicked off without any further unplanned incidents.

Toulouse were not rattled by the incident, lived up to their role as favorites and won the game 38:15.

The French club is now through to the quarter-finals - but the organizers are likely to do without any more parachutists for this match.