🔗 Share this article

“She celebrated as if she had won the Champions League,” noted England coach Sarina Wiegman with a laugh.

For Lucia Kendall, the feeling was almost identical.

The England boss was commenting on the instant the Villa player celebrated wildly following her debut international strike – during the opening stages of a triumph over Ghana at St Mary's Stadium.

“They are still doing some treatment on the grass!” she quipped, in reference to Kendall’s perfect knee slide.

Rising to her feet within her celebrating colleagues, the young player showed an expression of pure joy.

A Fairytale Homecoming

Southampton was her home for a decade; she was a core player there after coming through the academy and making 103 appearances prior to her July move to Aston Villa.

Consequently, scoring at her old stomping ground in only her third game for England was an unbelievable moment.

“It was a truly special moment to achieve this here, in my hometown. This place made me into the player I am,” Kendall remarked.

“It appeared as though it was fate. It was so special. I got flooded with emotion really.”

‘Things Have Gone So Quickly’

Southampton laid the groundwork, yet a formative decision made when she was 15 proved to be a turning point.

A skilled cricketer as well, with a father who played county cricket for Hampshire, she was forced to decide between the two pursuits as her football career took off. Football was the choice.

“It was a tough call. I simply couldn't manage both,” Kendall explained in a recent media conference.

“I adored cricket as a child. Making the choice was very hard. I went back and forth, but when the time came, I knew I enjoy football a bit more.”

Growing up admiring Chelsea and Frank Lampard’s goal-getting midfield exploits, Kendall is starting her own path with similar attacking instincts.

Her ability to manage first-team football alongside a psychology degree was evidence of the mental fortitude and commitment required for the top level.

The club did their utmost to keep her, but with her deal up, Villa seized the opportunity to bring her to the top flight.

In a matter of months, Kendall has quickly risen, securing a regular place in the WSL and a call-up to the national team.

“She shows consistency and that's not easy when you just come into a new environment and into the WSL with Aston Villa,” admitted Wiegman.

“Things have gone so quickly so fast, but she just keeps up her levels and shows she is a good player - and that is impressive.”

The midfielder was influential, later rattling the bar and coming close to providing an assist for Kearns, prior to Russo’s late penalty.

She was substituted after an hour to a ovation from the home crowd and the excited voice of the stadium announcer proclaiming that she was “Southampton's very own”.

With 29 Southampton goals to her name, she noted, “The trust and consistent playing time I received from 16 proved vital.

“It was the consistent trust they showed in me as a player and the belief. I felt like I was ready for [the next step].

“I knew that I had to go in [to England] and prove why I should be playing at this level. The speed of the game is quicker and it was like going up a division.”

‘Technically and Tactically, She Is a Very Strong Midfielder’

At the highest level, she has immediately looked the part, described as a natural midfielder who “has it”.

While mindful of protecting her young star, Wiegman is confident due to Kendall’s humble and focused attitude.

Days after being called up by the Lionesses for the first time, Kendall was sitting in front of the media saying she was keen to impress, but also understood the need for the team's greater good and whatever role she needed to play in that.

According to Russo, Kendall’s assimilation was so smooth it seemed she’d was a veteran presence.

“{This team's just gone on to win back-to