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

To Lucia Kendall, the moment was just as monumental.

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

“They are still doing some treatment on the grass!” she added, poking fun at Kendall’s perfect knee slide.

Getting up from her slide, Kendall took in the moment with cheeks puffed and a huge grin.

A Dream Return to St Mary's

Kendall was “a fixture” at Southampton – a club where she had devoted ten years, coming through their academy and playing 103 appearances before joining Villa in July.

Therefore, scoring at St Mary's upon her homecoming and during just her third international match felt unreal.

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

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

A Rapid Rise to Prominence

Southampton laid the groundwork, yet a important decision made when she was 15 shaped her destiny.

Despite being a talented cricketer (her father played for Hampshire), the impending demands of senior football at Southampton necessitated a decision. She selected football.

“It presented a dilemma. Juggling both became impossible,” Kendall commented in a recent media conference.

“I loved playing cricket growing up. It was a really difficult decision. I went back and forth, but when the time came, I knew I enjoy football a bit more.”

A Chelsea supporter, her childhood hero was the prolific England midfielder Frank Lampard, and Kendall’s early career is echoing that goalscoring trend.

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

The club fought to keep her, but with her deal up, Villa seized the opportunity to introduce her to the top flight.

Her meteoric rise has seen her become a WSL fixture and an England international in a short space of time.

“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.”

Kendall certainly enjoyed herself at St Mary's, striking 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.

Exiting the pitch to applause, the announcer emphasized 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 was incredibly beneficial.

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

“I understood the need to justify my selection at international level, where the tempo is higher, akin to moving up a league.”

Acknowledgment of Her Football Intelligence

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

Wiegman is keen to protect her, saying the media can play a role in that and so can Villa, but she has no concerns because of how “down-to-earth” Kendall acts.

Days after being called up by the Lionesses for the first time, Kendall was sitting in front of 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.

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

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