London, September 15:

Argentina stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano has a losing start on their debuts in European soccer on Thursday when new club West Ham lost 1-0 at home to Sicilian club Palermo in the UEFA Cup.

Andrea Caracciolo scored the only goal in the final minute of the first half a minute after goalkeeper Alberto Fontana had saved a volley from Tevez. The Hammers must win in Palermo in two weeks to reach the group stage of European soccer’s second-tier competition.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored twice in Ajax’s 5-2 win over IK Start in the first round of the competition while Sevilla began its defense with a 2-1 victory at Atromitos. Gustavo Lopez scored seven minutes before halftime as Celta Vigo won 1-0 at Standard Liege as all four Spanish clubs in first-round matches went unbeaten.