SOUTHAMPTON, 02 DEC — Lucia Kendall scored her first goal for her country in the fifth minute during her second appearance in England’s final matchup of the year against Ghana at St. Mary’s Stadium on Tuesday, finishing at 2-0.
The Aston Villa midfielder trained at Southampton’s academy before making her way to the Women’s Super League and went on to score in her football hometown at only 21.
“Really special moment for me to be able to do it here, where I grew up,” Kendall said to ITV. “This place made me into the player I was. It felt like it was written today.”
Alessia Russo was one of the five goalscorers last Saturday against China PR. The Arsenal striker made it on the goal sheet again after taking a penalty in the 90+6 minute, the result of a handball from Ghana’s Comfort Yeboah.
The Lionesses played a very different game tonight compared to Saturday, as head coach Sarina Wiegman made multiple changes to her side to give younger players the opportunity to get minutes.
““I hoped we would have scored more,” Wiegman said to ITV. “I think if we had taken the chances better, it would have been more than this. A lot of other players that we know as individuals are really good but we have to make these connections again.”
Four players were handed yellows, including current captain Keira Walsh in the final minute of play. Despite this, England was dominant in all areas tonight with a 73.1 percent overall possession.
The Black Queens ended the game with only one shot on target, but an impressive seven saves from their goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan.
Winning all three of their Homecoming Tour matches, the Lionesses look forward to the FIFA Women’s World Cup UEFA qualifiers against Ukraine in March 2026.
