put newly arrived duo of Mark van Bommel and Urby Emanuelson in the starting line-up. Milan, however, took only 22 minutes to go ahead 2–0, with both goals being scored by Alexandre Pato. Early in the second half, the hosts pulled one back through Stefano Guberti, but this did not prevent the Rossoneri from winning the game and making it through to the semi-finals, where they will face Palermo. The semi-finals first leg was played at the San Siro on Wednesday, 20 April. Milan took the lead as soon as the fourth minute with a volley by Ibrahimović off Massimo Oddo's cross. The visitors, however, equalised ten minutes later through Javier Pastore, following a one-two pass with Mauricio Pinilla, and they went ahead 2–1 eight minutes into the second half through Abel Hernández. Less than 15 minutes from time, Urby Emanuelson scored the equaliser for Milan, setting the final score to 2–2. The second leg was played at the Stadio Renzo Barbera in Palermo on Tuesday, 10 May. Due to the tie in the first-leg, Milan would have needed a win or a 3–3 or higher draw to qualify for the final (while a 2–2 would have sent the game to extra time). After a scoreless first half, Palermo took the lead around the hour mark, with a header by Giulio Migliaccio off a corner kick. Ten minutes later, Milan were left down to ten men, as Van Bommel was ejected for a last man foul, and Cesare Bovo converted the resulting penalty to double the hosts' lead. Bovo himself was ejected too shortly after for a hard tackle on Alexandre Pato. Milan, however, only managed to pull one back through Ibrahimović in injury time and they were knocked-out from the competition. UEFA Champions League Group stage Milan began their UEFA Champions League campaign in the group stage after finishing in third place in the 2009–10 Serie A. Due to their UEFA coefficient, they were seeded in Pot 1 with the eight highest ranked teams. The Rossoneri were drawn in the group G alongside Spanish La Liga runners-up Real Madrid, Dutch Cup winners Ajax and French side Auxerre. For the opening game, on 15 September, Milan played host to Auxerre at the San Siro. Despite struggling in the first half, with the visitors also hitting the crossbar once, the Rossoneri managed to get a 2–0 win, thanks to two goals