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

For Lucia Kendall, the feeling was almost identical.

The England boss was discussing the instant the Villa player ran off in jubilation following her debut international strike – six minutes into a 2-0 victory over Ghana at St Mary's Stadium.

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

Getting up from her slide, Kendall looked around with an amazed expression and a radiant grin.

A Dream Return to St Mary's

Kendall was “part of the furniture” at Southampton – a club where she had been for ten seasons, graduating from their academy and playing 103 games before moving to Villa in July.

Therefore, scoring at St Mary's upon her return and during just her third international match felt extraordinarily special.

“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 overwhelmed with emotion really.”

A Meteoric Ascent

Southampton built her foundation, yet a formative decision made when she was 15 shaped her destiny.

The gifted youngster was also a accomplished cricketer – her dad Will represented 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.

“Growing up, I had a passion for cricket. The decision was genuinely tough. 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 renowned for his goalscoring prowess – and Kendall has started out in a comparable fashion.

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

The second-tier club held on to her for as long as they could, but when her contract expired in the summer, Villa acted quickly to put her in the Women's Super League spotlight.

Within months the Winchester-born player has made a name for herself, becoming a consistent starter in the top flight and breaking into the England squad.

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

“The pace of her rise has been breathtaking, yet she maintains her performance standard, proving her quality impressively.”

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

Exiting the pitch to applause, the announcer highlighted her deep connection to the club and city.

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.

“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.”

Acknowledgment of Her Football Intelligence

At the highest level, she has appeared comfortable, described as a gifted midfielder who “understands”.

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

Teammate Alessia Russo observed that Kendall settled as if she’d been a long-term member.

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