Scoring in association football

In games of association football teams compete to score the most goals during the match. A goal is scored when the ball passes completely over a goal line an end of the field of play between two centrally-positioned upright goal posts 24 feet (7.32 m) apart and underneath a horizontal crossbar at a height of 8 feet (2.44 m). This frame is also referred to as a goal. Nets are usually attached to the goal frame to catch goalscoring balls.

Teams attack their opponents' goal while defending their own. Association football is a relatively low-scoring game, at professional levels only a few goals are typically scored per game and 0-0 ties are common.

Rules concerning goal scoring are described in Law 10 of the Laws of the Game:

A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided that no infringement of the Laws of the Game has been committed previously by the team scoring the goal.

Even if serious foul play unambiguously prevents scoring (a professional foul), the referee cannot award a goal if the above requirements have not been met—there is no provision for a "penalty goal" equivalent of the penalty try in rugby.

A goal cannot be scored directly from an indirect free kick or a throw-in. Should the ball go into the goal from these without first being touched by another player, play is restarted with a goal kick. A player cannot score an own goal directly from any restart of play, in that case a corner kick would be awarded. Both of these situations, especially the latter, are exceedingly rare.

If there is time remaining in the session of play, after a goal has been scored play is restarted with a kick-off by the side which conceded the goal.

...
Wikipedia