Max Muschs admitted he never dreamed of scoring three goals against the German champions as his hat trick helped Royal Léopold come back to beat Uhlenhorst Mülheim to bronze 4-2.

With their two biggest forward threats out injured – Tom Boon and Max Plennevaux – it was the 21-year-old who took on the hero’s role.

Speaking to Le Soir, Muschs said of the magic moment: “While putting on my socks before the game, I never thought of scoring three goals against the German champion. 

“I have been training penalty corners for a very long time and trying to improve my drag-flick. I took my chance in the absence of Tom Boon and Max Plennevaux to show what I am capable of.

“I have learned a lot from them and my third goal was thanks to Tom who told me to place the ball between the legs of the German goalkeeper whom he knows very well. I thanked him for his good advice which allowed us to kill the match and finish on the podium.”

Overally, it was a strong weekend for the Brussels club, winning their first EHL medal with Sunday’s bronze. They were disappointed not to crown an impressive performance against HC Bloemendaal with a GRAND FINAL berth, missing out in a shoot-out.

“Exactly, we were very disappointed on Saturday night because we had a very good game. We certainly did not deserve this setback in the shootouts.

“But the reaction was good on the pitch. We played 100%. We really wanted to snatch this 3rd place before being able to focus again on the Belgian championship.”

And they can face into the latter stages of the season with confidence with youngsters like Muschs, Dylan Englebert, Archibald de Kepper, Corentin de Trez and Maxim Groeteclaes hoping to play key roles in securing a return visit to the EHL.