Colombia falls short in shootout vs. Switzerland and fails to match its best World Cup performance

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Colombia was on the cusp of matching its best World Cup performance but could not come through in a penalty shootout.

Davinson Sánchez sent his penalty over the bar, and Cucho Hernández had his attempt saved by Gregor Kobel as Switzerland beat Colombia 4-3 in the shootout following a goalless 120 minutes on Tuesday.

“Clearly, something is missing. We haven’t been able to win with the national team,” midfielder Jhon Arias said.

Awaiting Colombia was a quarterfinal matchup against defending champion and South American rival Argentina. Instead, Los Cafeteros are headed home.

They had plenty chances to put it away, particularly in extra time.

Jhon Lucumí smashed a header off the top of the crossbar in the first extra-time period. Jaminton Campaz missed another clear-cut chance in the 116th minute. The striker picked up an errant clearance from Granit Xhaka and, with only Kobel to beat, shot the ball over the bar.

Gustavo Puerta had the first good chance for Colombia with a shot from distance in the 21st minute that was pushed away by Kobel.

Colombia’s best World Cup performance was in 2014, when it beat Uruguay in the round of 16 before losing to host Brazil in the quarterfinals. Los Cafeteros lost to England on penalties in the round of 16 in 2018 and missed the 2022 World Cup altogether.

“We all want to win. We all want to achieve important things with the national team because I think the people deserve it,” Arias said. “I think it’s something we need to reflect on carefully, and hopefully we’ll find what it is that’s still missing.”

Owen Cameros is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Colombia's Gustavo Puerta (14) reacts after losing to Switzerland during a penalty shootout in the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Switzerland and Colombia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel (1) blocks a penalty shot by Colombia's Cucho Hernandez in a shootout during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Colombia's Johan Mojica reacts during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Switzerland and Colombia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel (1) looks up as Colombia's Davinson Sanchez (23) hits the bar during a penalty shootout at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Switzerland and Colombia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Colombian players lie dejected after losing penalty shootout during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Switzerland and Colombia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Triple-murderer Erin Patterson appealed her convictions Wednesday for poisoning four of her estranged husband’s relatives with death cap mushrooms.

Three judges of the Victoria state Court of Appeal are hearing her appeal over two days against her convictions on three counts of murder and one of attempted murder relating to a lunch of beef Wellington pastries she prepared at her rural home in Leongatha in July 2023.

Prosecutors are appealing the leniency of her sentence. The 51-year-old was sentenced in September last year to life in prison and must serve at least 33 years behind bars before she can apply for release on parole.

Prosecutors will argue at the hearing Thursday she should be sentenced for life without possibility of parole, Prosecutor Brendan Kissane said.

Defense lawyer Richard Edney’s first ground for appeal Wednesday was an error that resulted in jury members being sequestered in the same hotel as a police witness and members of the prosecution team.

“This was a very serious breach of sequestration,” Edney told the court.

Kissane said there was no evidence to support that ground.

“There was no actual contact between any juror and any other person,” Kissane said.

Another defense lawyer, Veronika Drago, said there was no evidence that Patterson had read online posts that reported death cap mushrooms had been seen near the towns of Loch and Outtrim.

The trial heard evidence from a telecommunications expert that Patterson’s phone connected to towers near Outtrim and Loch.

Drago said the evidence was that Patterson’s phone had possibly been in the area.

“That in and of itself, in our submission, illustrates just how dangerous and unfair that evidence was” on Patterson’s trial, Drago said.

Prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams said the evidence showed that Patterson had an opportunity to deliberately source death cap mushrooms shortly before the lunch.

Another ground for appeal was that Prosecutor Nanette Rogers’ cross-examination of Patterson over five days had been “unfair and oppressive.”

The defense team also argued that trial judge Christopher Bale had caused “unfair prejudice” by allowing evidence from Patterson’s Facebook “friends” into the trial.

Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, was invited to the fatal lunch but did not attend.

His parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, died. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, spent weeks in hospital, but survived.

Patterson argued during her trial that the poisoning was an accident.

Drago argued a miscarriage of justice occurred when the prosecution opened their case saying there was no evidence of a motive for the poisonings, then closed the case suggesting Patterson's animosity toward her husband's parents and the broader Patterson family was the motive.

Questioned by one of the three judges, Justice Lesley Taylor, Drago said she was not accusing prosecutors of deliberate professional misconduct.

“It is certainly not a direct allegation or suggestion of that, but what is clear in our submission from the reading of all of the material is that where things started and where it finished by the end of the prosecution case were different,” Drago said.

If Patterson's appeal succeeds, the judges could overturn her convictions and order a retrial.

Patterson did not attend court on Wednesday and watched the hearing by video in prison.

In pretrial testimony only made public after her trial, Simon Patterson said he suspected his wife had deliberately made him seriously ill with dishes. No poisons were ever found.

Erin Patterson was initially charged with three counts of attempting to murder him three times between November 2021 and September 2022. She had denied all charges.

Prosecutors dropped all charges relating to the husband before her trial began in April 2025.

This story has corrected the lawyer's name to Drago, not Vargo, throughout.

FILE - Erin Patterson is escorted away from the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 8, 2025. (Joel Carrett/AAP Image via AP, File)