'I feel like it was written': Lucia Kendall makes lasting impression with special St Mary's goal
Lionesses midfielder 'overwhelmed' by homecoming moment as England defeat Ghana 2-0 in Southampton
England signed off an impressive year with a 2-0 win against Ghana at St Mary’s on Tuesday night.
A first England goal for Lucia Kendall and a penalty from Alessia Russo made it three friendly wins in a row for Sarina Wiegman’s side.
The England head coach deviated from a usually cautious approach to her starting line-up and rotated heavily for this match in Southampton.
There was a rare start for Lotte Wubben-Moy at centre-back as Esme Morgan dropped out of the team through illness. Taylor Hinds, Chloe Kelly, Aggie Beever-Jones, Jess Park, Missy Bo Kearns and Kendall also all came into the starting line up in place of those that started in Saturday’s mammoth 8-0 win against China.
The game sparked into life in the 6th minute when Kendall pounced on some poor Ghana defending to poke home a Kelly cross that wasn’t dealt with in the box.
Kendall celebrated her first England senior goal like it was a last-minute winner in a cup final, knee sliding onto the pitch where she played for many years during her time at Southampton.
England failed to build on their early lead and wasted several good chances in the first half, thanks in part to some solid defending from the visitors. Russo eventually added a second, scoring a 95th-minute penalty that was awarded after the ball hit defender Comfort Yeboah’s arm.
The only concern for Wiegman and Arsenal will be the fitness of Chloe Kelly, who was substituted in the 23rd minute after picking up an injury.
Much like her impressive debut performance against Australia in the last international break, where she picked up the player of the match trophy, Kendall was calm and composed alongside Keira Walsh in England’s midfield. The 21-year-old could have even had a second when her header hit the post late in the first half. She was eventually subbed off just after the hour mark, making way for Manchester City’s Grace Clinton.
A quick glance at Kendall’s stats and you see a player that can deliver consistency. Kendall had the third-highest passing accuracy of any England player on Tuesday night (93%), just behind Wobben-Moy and Maya Le Tissier. The midfielder won two of her six ground duels and two of her three aerial duels during her 63 minutes on the pitch.
“I feel I can do it at this level”
Leading up to this friendly, Kendall spoke about how her recent performances had helped to grow her“confidence” and belief. “I feel I can do it at this level, but it’s about being consistent and obviously still realising I’m a young player in this group,” she said.
Kendall has been a breath of fresh air in Wiegman’s squad. She is without the burden of expectation that other players now carry as a result of their achievements with the Lionesses. There is a raw excitement to Kendall, like a competition winner who is unbelievably talented. Her mantra is being “fearless” and not being afraid to make mistakes. Something easy to observe in the way she plays on the pitch.
Marieanne Spacey-Cale, director of women’s football at Southampton, spoke to ITV before Tuesday night’s game and highlighted her ability, intelligence and noted that from an early age, Kendall had the talent and the mentality to be a Lioness.
“Technically and tactically she’s a really strong midfield player. She’s not a complete midfielder yet, she’s still got a lot to learn”, said Spacey-Cale. “She trusts her first touch, she knows what’s around her and she’s already made the next decision and looking for her teammate”.
But Kendall has learnt not to get carried away with this quick rise from playing with Southampton in WSL2, to signing and impressing in the WSL with Aston Villa, and now making her a name on the international stage.
It’s a rise that she herself admitted she didn’t expect at the start of the season. Kendall even joked about how her Instagram followers had recently doubled since making her Lionesses debut, but that she “didn’t have many” to begin with.
“It was a really special moment for me, to be able to do it here, this place made me who I am today”, said Kendall to ITV after the game. “I feel like it was written today, it was really nice.
“It was so special, it took me a couple seconds for it to really hit. I got overwhelmed with emotion really”.
Kendall made her professional debut for Southampton at just 16 and made over 100 appearances for the club before joining Aston Villa in the summer.
Ian Wright and Anita Asante were full of praise for the midfielder on ITV’s coverage, and both reflected that they hope to see more goals from the youngster in her and England’s future.