Dutch midfielder Urby Emanuelson scored a late equalizer as Serie A leader AC Milan scrambled a 2-2 draw at home to Palermo in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals Wednesday.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic put Milan ahead four minutes in at the San Siro with a perfectly executed volley inside the box following a long cross from Massimo Oddo.
Palermo's Argentine standout Javier Pastore equalized in the 14th, sprinting past Milan's defense before beating Milan goalkeeper Marco Amelia with a powerful low shot.
Uruguayan forward Abel Hernandez then put Palermo in front in the 53rd, scoring from a sharp angle as Milan's defense hoped for an offside call that never came.
Emanuelson equalized in the 76th after Ibrahimovic was stripped of the ball inside the area. Ibrahimovic is in the middle of a three-match ban in Serie A for insulting a linesman and his presence was felt throughout the match.
''The important thing tonight was not to lose and to give ourselves a chance in Palermo,'' Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said.
Defending champion Inter Milan won 1-0 at Roma in the other semifinal Tuesday.
The return legs are scheduled for May 10 and 11.
