Edinburgh players and coaches don't like it when their mentality is questioned, which is fair enough.

There's one way to make those questions redundant, though. And season after season they fail to answer them.

On paper, they can win this game, no question. You'd worry about them at 10 and whether Ross Thompson can get control of it in the way we know his counterpart, Tom Jordan, can.

But elsewhere, they have the artillery. Or should have.

The game within the game is the psychology, though. Time and again, Glasgow show their mental fortitude. Even when not playing well, they dig in and win or get a losing bonus or a four-try bonus or both, as they did in Toulon last weekend.

Glasgow are as resilient as hell - and murder to play against.

Edinburgh almost need the stars to be perfectly aligned in order to get over the line. They have won ugly in the past, but they don't convince when a game becomes a battle of attrition.

It's infuriating because they have the players. Surely all the praise that Glasgow have been getting for seasons now must drive them crazy. Surely that anger can be harnessed and turned against Glasgow. We're still waiting. Maybe this time.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Matt Murray felt tingles in making sure to take in the moment during pregame warmups and the national anthem before making his first NHL start in nearly 21 months.

The 30-year-old, two-time Stanley Cup-winner felt an even bigger wave of emotion come over him once the final horn sounded and Murray was mobbed by his teammates following his 25-save performance in a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

"A big release," Murray said, in coming to the realization of the exhaustive work he has put in spending much of the past year rehabbing following bilateral hip surgery.

"I think I took it as a challenge. It was a long road, a big mountain to climb," Murray said. "But I kept this moment in the front of my mind on those days where it felt tough."

Murray is best known for opening his career with Pittsburgh, where he won two Cups, including his rookie season in 2015-16 when he posted a 15-6 record in the playoffs.

The win on Friday was the 147th of Murray's career, and first since a 33-save outing in Toronto's 6-2 win over Florida on March 23, 2023. His last start came two days later in a loss at Carolina, while he also had a mop-up outing in a backup role a week later in a loss to Detroit.

Otherwise, Murray spent much of the past calendar year wondering if he'll ever play another NHL game again, while regaining his form with the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate. He closed last season going 1-2 in three starts, and had a 4-1-2 record, including a shutout, when Toronto called him up Friday, with Anthony Stolarz sidelined four to six weeks after having knee surgery.

Coach Craig Berube expressed confidence in Murray before the game by saying "he still has a fire inside."

Afterward, Berube congratulated Murray for being cool and composed.

"I didn't notice too much emotion or anything like that. He was pretty dialed in," Berube said. "It's a big commitment he made to want to get back and play in the NHL. Went through a lot and very happy for him."

Murray made several key stops in the opening two periods, and got a boost from Toronto's offense in building a 5-1 lead over the slumping Sabres, who dropped to 0-9-3 in their past 12.

Murray also got a few assists from the officials, who disallowed two goals.

Alex Tuch's goal, which would have tied the game at 1 early in the first period, was disallowed when a linesman ruled Buffalo's Jason Zucker high-sticked Toronto Chris Tanev entering the zone. Zucker was issued a double-minor penalty for drawing blood.

Owen Power then had a goal disallowed that would have cut the lead to 5-4 with 3:26 left. Toronto, however, successfully challenged Buffalo's Sam Lafferty for goalie interference. Replays showed Lafferty's skate hitting Murray's stick just before Power scored on a shot from the right point.

"I had no chance," Murray said on the second disallowed goal. "I was definitely hoping that they were going to make the right call. I think they did."

Maple Leafs players praised Murray for his performance and resilience, knowing what the goalie has endured.

"Mentally to clock in every single day for that long, it's unbelievable," forward Max Domi said. "That's stuff that you guys as media members and the fans don't see, but we as players do. And I mean, it's inspirational for us. We all look up to him and we're super happy for him."

Carlo Ancelotti said Kylian Mbappé's "period of adaptation has finished" ahead of Real Madrid's last game of 2024, hosting Sevilla at the Bernabéu on Sunday.

Mbappé scored the opening goal in Madrid's 3-0 win over Pachuca in Qatar on Wednesday, making it 13 goals in all competitions this season and two trophies already, adding the FIFA Intercontinental Cup to the UEFA Super Cup won back in August.

Madrid go into the Sevilla game vying with Barcelona and Atlético Madrid -- who face off on Saturday -- at the top of the LaLiga table.

"[Mbappé's] period of adaptation has finished," Ancelotti said in a news conference on Saturday. "He's now at his best, but he can still improve. He's played well in recent games. He's recovered from the little injury he had and he looks more motivated, excited. He needed time, like everybody does, but that period is over."

Mbappé's improving form has seen him score five goals in his last seven games for Madrid, and he quickly recovered from a hamstring problem sustained against Atalanta in the Champions League to play Pachuca.

Ancelotti lamented the fact that injuries have meant he hasn't been able to field his four attacking stars -- Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes -- in the same eleven more often.

"Sometimes Rodrygo has been injured, sometimes Bellingham, they've played few games [together] but from what little we've seen they combine well," Ancelotti said. "Sometimes Mbappé has played the left, sometimes Vinícius has played inside, or Bellingham on the left ... I won't fix a position for the four, but rather I'll give them a lot of freedom.

"Mbappé only has to improve in his consistency, trying to do the things that only he can do, as often as possible. I don't ask him to be very involved in the build-up play. His best characteristic is finding space and getting into the box. That's what he needs to do more frequently."

Ancelotti said Ferland Mendy would be available for the Sevilla game, while long-term absentee David Alaba should be competing for a place in the team by mid-January. "I think it will be a much more competitive league than in recent years," he said, when asked about Saturday's clash between Barça and Atlético.

"Atlético have all the resources to try fight for it. It will be entertaining until the end, and because it will be competitive, I think you can win the league with fewer than 90 points this year."

Barcelona members (socios) ratified the club's new long-term agreement with Nike at an emergency assembly on Saturday, with president Joan Laporta claiming the deal is the biggest of its kind ever signed.

There were 419 votes in favour of the deal with the American corporation and 27 against, while 22 people abstained from voting.

Barça have not disclosed the full details of the agreement, with Laporta referring to a confidentiality clause, but sources told ESPN in November it is worth more than 100 million ($104.2m) annually before bonuses are taken into account.

The multi-year agreement with Nike will help to further alleviate the Catalan club's financial problems.

"It's the best financial agreement in the history of sport with a kit supplier," Laporta said. "Nike understood the magnitude of Barça in the sporting world and the deal makes us stronger on all levels.

"It's important for the club's finances. The ratification of the deal aids our economic recovery and also helps us with LaLiga's financial fair play limit."

Figures for these types of deals are not always public in football, but Manchester United committed to a 1 billion ($1.1bn), 10-year partnership with Adidas in 2023.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are reported to raise around 120m annually from their agreement with Adidas, although that was signed in 2019.

Laporta was met with concerns from members before the vote.

Some voiced a desire for more transparency around the numbers involved in the agreement, others complained about the prices of merchandise and there were questions about the involvement of Darren Dein.

Dein is an agent who helped broker the deal between Barça and Nike. He was also involved in Barça's agreement with main sponsor Spotify in 2022 and Laporta defended his role in making the two deals happen.

Barça and Nike have worked together since 1998 and the new agreement helps consolidate the club's finances as they attempt to get back within their LaLiga-imposed spending limit.

As of September, their cap was set at 426m, with Laporta saying recently they were in excess of that limit by around 60m.

Sources have told ESPN the Nike deal will not get Barça back within their spending limit yet and that it is still not enough to be able to register Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor for the second half of the season.

Olmo and Victor are both on temporary registrations which expire on Dec. 31, but Barça are pursuing various routes to be able to extend those registrations, including seeking a court order.

ST. MORITZ, Switzerland -- Lindsey Vonn took a low-risk approach and finished 14th in a super-G on Saturday to mark her return to World Cup skiing at age 40.

Vonn crossed the line 1.18 seconds behind Austrian winner Cornelia Huetter.

It was the American standout's first World Cup race after nearly six years of retirement.

"This was the perfect start," Vonn said. "Today is just the first step and I'm not looking for more. Today I really needed to get to the finish. I wanted to have a solid result. And that's exactly what I did."

Vonn lost time early in her run but nearly matched the top finishers in the middle and bottom section of the Corvaglia course.

When she reached the finish and saw her time, Vonn flashed a wide smile and waved to the crowd.

"I didn't risk anything with the line. I was a little bit conservative in some sections, but overall I skied really well. Now I just need my top section to be a little faster and I'll be in really good shape," said Vonn, who is planning to race another super-G in St. Moritz on Sunday.

Vonn had to cut her career short in 2019 due to a series of crashes and injuries, but then she had knee replacement surgery in April and had two titanium pieces inserted into her right knee. Her knee feels better than it has in years, so she decided to come back.

Vonn left the tour with 82 World Cup wins -- the record for a woman at the time and within reach of the then all-time Alpine mark of 86 held by Swedish standout Ingemar Stenmark. The women's record held by Vonn was eclipsed in January 2023 by American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin, who now has an outright record 99 wins.

Shiffrin, who shares the record of five wins in St. Moritz with Vonn, isn't racing this weekend as she recovers from abdominal surgery to clean out a puncture wound she sustained in a crash last month.

Vonn took advantage of a new wild card rule that allows former champions to enter races without the necessary points.

Eight-time overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher also took advantage of the wild card rule and returned this season after five years away. But then Hirscher tore his left ACL while training in giant slalom and announced earlier this month that his comeback season was done.

Vonn is attempting to enter unchartered territory in terms of success at an advanced age in women's skiing.

The oldest woman to win a World Cup race was Federica Brignone, the Italian who won the giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, in October to start this season, at age 34.

The oldest man to win a race was Didier Cuche at 37 in a super-G in Crans Montana, Switzerland, in 2012.

Johan Clarey set the record for the oldest podium finisher with a second-place result in the famed Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbuehel, Austria, at age 42 in January 2023.

A week full of wild swings for the Washington Commanders' pursuit of a stadium in the District of Columbia ended with another twist -- and what one person involved called a Hail Mary -- that elevates the likelihood of the team returning to the city.

Early Saturday morning, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill by unanimous consent that would allow the federal government to lease more than 170 acres of land to the district at the site where RFK Stadium resides. It greatly increases the chances of the Commanders building a new stadium at the site, though more hurdles remain before that's a reality.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has said they plan to build more housing and a recreation center on the grounds. She has been aggressive in her pursuit of the Commanders, who have been looking for a new stadium site for several years.

But the first step was having the federal government lease the land back to the city for another 99 years. The district has another 14 years on its current lease, but that was not a long enough time to secure the necessary funding for projects.

On Tuesday, a provision to transfer the land was included in a continuing resolution spending bill before Congress, fueling hopes for Washington to pursue a stadium in the district. Those hopes were dashed when the provision was removed Thursday. Though that bill failed to pass, a new one Friday did that still excluded this provision.

That left the Commanders and the district pondering a next step that could have included waiting until Congress returned for a new session. Instead, the Senate passed the bill around 1:15 a.m. Saturday. The bill, which the House passed in February, still must be signed into law by President Joe Biden.

"We are extremely grateful that our elected officials have come together on a bipartisan basis to give Washington D.C. the opportunity to decide on the future of the RFK stadium site," Commanders owner Josh Harris said in a statement. "This bill will create an equal playing field so that all potential future locations for the home of the Washington Commanders can be fairly considered and give our franchise the opportunity to provide the best experience for all of our fans."

There is no federal funding involved in the bill. On Wednesday, Elon Musk, an adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, reposted misinformation on X that included a headline stating Congress was giving the district $3 billion to build a stadium. That led to a rebuke from Bowser over a bill that was always just about extending the lease.

Now that it has passed the Senate, Bowser can start negotiating with the Commanders about a stadium. Washington played at RFK Stadium from 1961 to 1996 before moving to Maryland.

The organization played in five Super Bowls and won three while playing at the RFK site, fueling an emotional attachment among the fan base that lingers. It has been the preferred destination for the Commanders and Harris, who grew up a fan of the franchise and bought the team from Dan Snyder in July 2023.

Bowser told ESPN earlier this month that "there were a lot of objections raised to the previous ownership and the direction they took the team. That's almost forgotten, I would say. The spirit of winning is also good."-

Washington has a contract with Maryland to play at Northwest Stadium until early in the 2027 season, but because they own the stadium and the land, they can extend the deal until a new stadium is built. Harris has said he would like to have a new stadium by 2030.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has repeatedly stated his desire to have the team stay in Landover, so there's no guarantee they leave - though one source said the odds have greatly increased for the district.

Still, any deal with the city involving public funds must be approved by the D.C. Council, which in the past has been split on the topic.

The Commanders previously provided Maryland's senators with a written assurance that it would develop the 200 acres of land they own in Landover, Maryland, the site of their current stadium, if they indeed leave. That helped convince Maryland's senators to grant their approval, a necessary step.

The bill was a product of Bowser and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., working together to garner support.

"The Senate's passage of the D.C. RFK Stadium Campus Revitalization Act is a historic moment for our nation's capital," Comer said in a statement. "If Congress failed to act today, this decaying land in Washington would continue to cost taxpayers a fortune to maintain. Revitalizing this RFK Memorial Stadium site has been a top economic priority for the city, and I am proud to have partnered with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to get this bill across the finish line and to the President's desk."

The news continues a season of revitalization for the franchise. The Commanders are 9-5 and currently hold the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC. They have found a young quarterback in rookie Jayden Daniels to build around with an energetic coach in Dan Quinn and a revamped front office led by general manager Adam Peters.

Indeed, it was Daniels who completed the first Hail Mary for the team this season with a 52-yard throw on the final play of the game against the Chicago Bears in October.

Saturday morning, they received another one.