Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - Warriors youngster Reece Walsh has been named to start for Queensland in this week's second State of Origin rugby league clash against New South Wales.

Following their 50-6 humbling in game one, Queensland coach Paul Green has made five changes to his side including gambling on 18 year old Walsh, who only made his NRL debut in April.

The teenager will become the youngest Origin debutant since Ben Ikin in 1995 when he runs out at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday.

Walsh will start at fullback with AJ Brimson out with a knee injury, with incumbent No.1 Valentine Holmes moved to the wing.

Cowboys front-rower Francis Molo will also make his debut while veteran hooker Andrew McCullough, Canberra prop Josh Papalii and Dragons utility Ben Hunt return to the side with Xavier Coates, Joe Ofahengaue, Jaydn Su'A all axed while Harry Grant (hamstring) and AJ Brimson (knee) were ruled out with injury.

It means the Brisbane Broncos are now without a single player in the Queensland Origin side for the first time in history.

Dixon 4th in Wisconsin

Scott Dixon has recorded his fifth top five finish of the Indy Car season to remain third in the championship standings.

The reigning series champion has battled back from 13th on the grid to finish fourth in race nine of the season in Wisconsin.

Dixon is now 53 points behind his Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Alex Palou, who is the new championship leader after winning in Wiconsin.

The Spaniard won the race ahead of American Colton Herta with Australian Will Power third.

Mexico's Pato O'Ward has lost the championship lead after finishing ninth.

O'Ward is now 28 points behind Palou and 25 ahead of Dixon.

Rookie New Zealand driver Scott McLaughlin finished 14th in Wisconsin.

Samoa and Tonga miss Olympic sevens

Samoa and Tonga have both missed out on qualifying for the Olympic rugby sevens tournament.

In the final qualifying tournament in Monaco, Ireland qualified for Tokyo from the men's competition and France and Russia qualified from the women's competition.

The Samoan men finished second in their group and were beaten in the semi-finals by France, while Tonga managed just one win and were fourth in their group.

Ireland beat France in the final and grabbed the one men's spot up for grabs.

Because they played in this tournament Tonga did qualify former All Black centre Malakai Fekitoa, ex Wallabies loose forward Lopeti Timani and former Australian Sevens international Afusipa Taumoepeau for the 'Ikale Tahi 15-a-side team.

The Samoan women's team managed just one win in Monaco and finished third in their group, while Papua New Guinea lost both of their pool matches.

Russia and France finished top to book their places at the Olympic tournament.

Wales join Italy in making last 16 at Euros

Italy topped their group in the European Championship after a third straight win, with a first-half goal from Matteo Pessina giving them a 1-0 victory over 10-man Wales, who also advance to the knockout stages of the competition.

The Italians had already guaranteed their progress, while Wales secured a berth too by finishing ahead of Switzerland on goal difference.

The Swiss, who could still advance as one of the four best third-placed teams, beat Turkey 3-1 in Baku.

Italy manager Roberto Mancini made eight changes to rest most of his first-choice starters, but Italy still dominated and missed several chances either side of Pessina's 42nd-minute goal, when he steered a low Marco Verratti free kick into the far corner.

Welsh centre back Ethan Ampadu was shown a straight red card in the 55th minute for stamping on Federico Bernadeschi's foot, and Wales then missed their best chance of an equaliser in the 74th when Gareth Bale volleyed over the bar from close range.

Italy will next face the runners-up of Group C, while Wales will take on the runners-up of Group B.

-Reuters

Berretinni wins at Queen's.

Italian top seed Matteo Berrettini marked himself down as a genuine Wimbledon threat after beating Britain's Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3 to win the Queen's Club title in London.

The 25-year-old used his huge serve and forehand to great effect once again to claim his fifth career title and become the first Italian champion at the prestigious event.

Berrettini banged down his 19th ace as he served for the match and claimed victory on his first match point.

The world number nine did not drop serve since the first round and held 46 service games in a row.

Meanwhile France's Ugo Humbert pulled off a surprise 6-3 7-6(4) win over world number seven Andrey Rublev to claim his maiden ATP 500 title on the Halle grasscourts in Germany.

Humbert stepped up his Wimbledon preparations by producing a clinical display, winning 85% of his first-serve points and hitting nine aces to extend his perfect record in ATP tour finals to 3-0.

Despite the defeat, Rublev will rise up to third in the Race to Turin for a place in the ATP Finals in November.

The 23-year-old is only behind world number one Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

-Reuters

Marquez back on top

Six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez held off KTM's Miguel Oliveira to complete a thrilling comeback win at the German Grand Prix, taking the chequered flag for the first time since a career-threatening right-arm injury last year.

Despite being unbeaten at the Sachsenring in his previous 10 appearances, Repsol Honda rider Marquez said on Saturday he could not think about extending that run after crashing out of the previous three rounds this season.

But with the circuit's quirky layout featuring 10 left corners and only three right, Marquez appeared to suffer less with his right arm and shoulder as he quickly moved from his fifth place on the grid to take the lead on the opening lap.

The Spaniard was largely untroubled as he completed his fairytale comeback victory, 581 days after he last took the chequered flag at the Valencia Grand Prix in 2019.

Portuguese rider Oliveira secured his third-straight podium of the season, ahead of Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo, who moved 22 points clear in the championship race.

Pramac Ducati's pole-sitter Johann Zarco, currently second in the championship standings, faded to eighth after a poor start to the race.

-Reuters

A-League grand final repeat

Melbourne City will meet Sydney FC in the A-League grand final.

Two goals in two second-half minutes set City on their way to their second consecutive Australian championship final with a 2-0 win over Macarthur FC in their semi-final.

Young guns Marco Tilio and Stefan Colakovski set up goals for each other in the 54th and 55th minutes at Kogarah's Jubilee Oval to give City an opportunity to avenge last year's final loss with a rematch against champions Sydney FC next weekend.

The defeat brought an end to the illustrious career of Macarthur skipper Mark Milligan, who went to four World Cup tournaments with Australia.

City topped the regular season standings to win the Premiers' Plate, guaranteeing them home advantage throughout the playoffs, COVID-19 travel restrictions permitting.

Sydney FC beat Adelaide United 2-1 in the first semi-final on Saturday.

Melbourne on cusp of NBL title

Melbourne United have taken a major step towards securing their second Australian basketball league championship in four years.

United have beaten the defending champion Wildcats 83-74 in game two of the grand finals to take a commanding two-nil lead in the best-of-five series.

Melbourne can clinch the title on their home floor on Friday night.

Chris Goulding led United with 21 points, while three of his team-mates also scored double digits.

Tall Blacks point guard Shea Ili scored four points, dished two assists and picked up one steal off the bench.

Meanwhile in the New Zealand NBL, Otago and canterbury both kept their play-off hopes alive with Otago beating Franklin 104-64 and Canterbury beating Taranaki 92-68.

Lawson down the field in DTM race two

A reality check for young New Zealand driver Liam Lawson in his second race in the German touring car championship (DTM).

Lawson, 19, has finished a distant 14th in the race two of the opening round at Monza, 24 hours after his stunning win on debut.

He had started from second on the grid.

Lawson is second in the championship standings, 11 points behind South African Kelvin van der Linde, who won race two.

The next DTM round is in Germany late next month.

Africa plans Super League

African football is going ahead with plans to launch a Super League, despite a similar project in Europe crashing after public outcry.

Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe said an African Super League, an idea first suggested by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, was needed to improve the game on the continent and make it financially viable.

Infantino raised the idea first in 2019 saying it would comprise 20 permanent member clubs plus other that would qualify via regional competitions, predicting the Super League would have the potential to generate a revenue of US$3-billion over a five-year cycle.

Motsepe said CAF, which is African football's controlling body, must consider new competitions to generate additional income for itself and its member associations and "also contribute to African football becoming globally competitive and self-sustaining".

Motsepe, who took on the job in March, also said that CAF's image needed improving.

-Reuters