Leticia McKenna not only became CommBank Matilda #243 on Saturday in the FIFA Series 2026™ against Malawi, she did it in style, scoring the team’s fifth and final goal in their 5-0 victory.
She said it was difficult to put into words how she was feeling after the achievement.
“It’s surreal. It hasn't sunk in yet,” she said.
“The girls have just been amazing, getting around me. I can't really put it into words.
“I went a bit numb when I scored. I just smiled. It was incredibly special to do that on debut. I know my family will be very proud watching back at home.”
There were lovely scenes after the goal, with the team celebrating the 23-year-old.
“Everyone just got around me straight away, congratulating me, and welcoming me into the Matildas' family,” she said.
“I can't thank them enough. Every single one of them came up to me straight away, and that's something I'll cherish for a long time.
“The girls have welcomed me with open arms, and taken away the nerves. I thought I was going to be stressing a lot more. For them to get around me every step of the way has been awesome.”
Coming onto the pitch, her job was to show the country what she could do. She certainly delivered on that front.
“Joe [Montemurro] said to go out there, have fun, be confident,” she said.
“Positionally, just get into the pocket, get on the ball.”
She said that the team would take the lessons learned against Malawi into the second game of the FIFA Series 2026™ when they face Kenya midweek.
“The lesson is to just be ruthless going forward,” she said.
“We know we can calm the play in certain situations. Just go forward and be clinical.”
And, when the window is finished, confidence and consistency at club level for Melbourne City are the keys for McKenna.
“The focus moving forward now is just to be consistent when I head back into the A-League, keep being confident, and just keep trying to get better every day,” she said.
WOMEN’S FIFA SERIES 2026- KENYA
Match Three:
Malwi v India
Date: Wednesday 15 April 2026
Kick-off: 2.00pm local/9.00pm AEST
Venue: Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi
Match Four:
Kenya vs Australia
Date: Wednesday 15 April 2026/Thursday 16 April 2026 AEST
Kick-off: 5.30pm local/12.30am AEST
Venue: Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi
TV Broadcast: All CommBank Matildas matches will be broadcast exclusively on Paramount+