‘As if she had won the Champions League’ - Kendall’s special performance for England

“She reacted like a Champions League winner,” said England boss Sarina Wiegman with a grin.

To Lucia Kendall, the moment carried similar weight.

Wiegman was recalling the moment the Aston Villa midfielder dashed into the corner after scoring her first Lionesses goal – six minutes into a win over Ghana at St Mary's Stadium.

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

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

A Scripted Moment at a Familiar Ground

Having been “a staple” of Southampton for a decade, where she progressed from the youth ranks to play over a century of games, her summer switch to Villa was a significant change.

Consequently, netting at her old stomping ground in only her third game for England was an incredible experience.

“A really special moment for me to be able to do it here, where I grew up. This place forged the player I am,” Kendall remarked.

“It felt like it was written [in the stars]. It was so special. I got flooded with emotion really.”

A Meteoric Ascent

Southampton built her foundation, yet a formative decision made when she was 15 proved to be a turning point.

The talented youngster was also a keen cricketer – her dad Will played for Hampshire – but eventually had to choose between the sports just as she was earning a place in Southampton's first-team squad. She chose football.

“It presented a dilemma. Juggling both became impossible,” Kendall explained in a previous 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 realised I enjoy football a bit more.”

Her idol growing up as a Chelsea fan was Frank Lampard – an England midfielder known for his goalscoring ability – and Kendall has begun her career in a similar fashion.

Balancing her football at Southampton with university studies in psychology demonstrated the focus and dedication needed to excel.

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

Within months the Winchester-born player has established herself, becoming a regular in the top flight and breaking into the England squad.

“Displaying consistency is challenging for any new arrival in the WSL, but she has managed it,” said 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.”

Kendall certainly enjoyed herself at St Mary's, hitting the crossbar later in the first half and almost setting up Villa team-mate Missy Bo Kearns for a goal, before Alessia Russo added a second with an injury-time penalty.

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

Kendall scored 29 goals for the club in more than a decade of service and added: “Being at Southampton for so long, I played regular senior football from the age of 16 and that gave me a great foundation.

“The constant faith they placed in me gave me the confidence to take the next step.

“Entering the England setup, I was aware I had to demonstrate my worth. The increased pace felt like a step up in class.”

Praise for a Complete Midfielder

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

While mindful of shielding her young star, Wiegman is unworried due to Kendall’s grounded and focused attitude.

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

Arsenal striker Alessia Russo said it felt like Kendall had “was an old hand” as she slotted straight into the squad.

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