June 29 2019 will be marked as memorable date in the history of women's football in Sweden. It was the day in which the Swedes stamped their mark in the 2019 World Cup as they cancelled out a 24-year-streak of defeats against Germany in major tournaments.

Sweden completed a comeback to beat Germany 2-1 in the quarter-finals, in Rennes, and are now heading to the semi-finals where they will face Netherlands, the current European champions, in Lyon, this Wednesday. 

In addition, Sweden have also secured a Tokyo 2020 berth with this win while denying Germany, the Olympics defending champions, the chance to defend their title at the Games next year. 

Yet, it was not all straightforward for Sweden as Germany took the lead in the early stages, giving the impression that they will dictate proceedings until the final whistle.

Nonetheless, Sofia Jakobsson picked the right moment to open her World Cup account as she caught Germany's defensive line napping to level terms. 

"We knew that Germany would defend so high, therefore we prepared ourselves in order to exploit such situations," Jakobsson told the Times of Malta.

"Obviously, Germany have smart players but we were able to handle them throughout that game and that played a key role in our win." 

Asked about how does it feel to be involved in such a huge manifestation such as the World Cup, Jakobsson, who plays her club football at Montpellier in France, underlined the excitement that goes around in the stadiums during games.

"It is so special for me given I play for Montpellier, therefore I know what it means to play football in French culture," she explained.

"The crowds have been immense and it is always a pleasure to be part of such tournaments."

Proud Asllani 

Sweden's no.9, Kosovare Asllani, may not have added goals to her World Cup tally but has played an effective role in helping the Swedes sink the Germans.

"It feels so nice to be part of such a story - we had all the history and statistics thrown at us by the journalists but we still needed to make sure to remain focused on our appointment," the former Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City player explained. 

With both semi-finals and the final being hosted in Lyon, it feels that another tournament will start at the Parc Olympique. Asllani is of the same impression and expressed her happiness in having another shot for a medal.

"I love playing for medals. I woke up this morning (on Sunday), thinking that I don't want to pack and return home, but just go to Lyon," Asllani said.