Palermo end Milan double hopes
Reuters - Tuesday 10 May 2011, 21:07
MILAN - Serie A champions AC Milan's
double hopes ended in a 2-1 Coppa Italia defeat at Palermo on
Tuesday in which midfielder Mark van Bommel was sent off.
Giulio Migliaccio and Cesare Bovo, with a penalty, scored in
the second half of the semi-final second leg as the Sicilians
completed a 4-3 aggregate win.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic replied in stoppage-time for AC Milan who
clinched the Serie A title on Saturday.
Bovo was sent off almost immediately after his goal for a
high kick on Alexandre Pato as Palermo reached the final for the
third time, having lost the previous two.
After sitting back for the first half, Palermo - who have
never won a major trophy - came to life after the break,
inspired by Argentine Javier Pastore in midfield and Uruguayan
Abel Hernandez up front.
Migliaccio put Palermo ahead with a diving header from a
corner in the 63rd minute before Pastore sent Josip Ilicic clear
but he was hauled back by Van Bommel as he was about to shoot.
The hard-tackling Dutchman was given straight red card
before Bovo converted the penalty, only to be sent off himself
two minutes later.
Ibrahimovic's flicked goal came too late for Milan.