The short answer
A direct free kick can score against the opponents without another touch. An indirect free kick needs a touch by another player before a goal can count. Neither restart can score directly into the kicker's own goal. The referee raises an arm for an indirect kick; the location of the offence alone does not turn it into a penalty.
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A direct free kick can go straight into the opponents’ goal. An indirect free kick cannot: another player must touch it first. That player can be a teammate, a defender or the goalkeeper.
The distinction explains why a referee can award a free kick a few metres from goal without pointing to the penalty spot. The offence determines the restart before its location determines where it is taken.
Read the signal before the shot
The referee holds an arm above the head to identify an indirect free kick. Under IFAB Law 13.1, that signal continues until another player touches the ball, it goes out, or a direct goal is no longer possible.
If the referee forgets the signal and the kick goes directly into the opponents’ goal, the remedy is a retake. Players should not lose their restart because the official failed to identify it.
What happens when the ball enters a goal?
The following table assumes a correctly taken kick, the proper signal and no other offence.
| Kick and destination | No other player touches it | Another player touches it on the way |
|---|---|---|
| Direct kick into opponents’ goal | Goal | Goal, subject to other laws |
| Indirect kick into opponents’ goal | Goal kick | Goal, subject to other laws |
| Either kick into own goal | Corner kick | An own goal can count |
These outcomes come from Law 13’s scoring provisions. For an indirect attempt, a goalkeeper’s unsuccessful save can therefore supply the touch that makes a goal possible. A rebound from the post cannot: the post is not a player.
An offence inside the box is not automatically a penalty
A penalty kick follows a qualifying direct-free-kick offence inside the defender’s own penalty area. An indirect offence stays indirect there.
Law 12 distinguishes contact fouls from offences such as dangerous play without contact and restricted goalkeeper handling. A goalkeeper who picks up a teammate’s deliberate kick normally gives away an indirect free kick, not a penalty. The detailed exceptions are covered in the back-pass rule.
For an attacking indirect kick awarded inside the goal area, Law 13 moves the ball to the nearest point on the goal-area line parallel to the goal line. The little box changes the restart position, not the type of offence.
A quick kick does not guarantee an empty passing lane
The normal opponent distance is 9.15 metres. If the attackers take a quick free kick and a nearby opponent intercepts it, Law 13 allows play to continue. Deliberately preventing the quick restart is different and can bring a caution.
Picture a player taking a quick pass while a defender is retreating. The attackers have chosen to restart before the full space is available; they do not automatically get another attempt if the pass hits that defender. Compare this with the referee choosing to let a foul go under the advantage rule: in both situations, the sequence matters more than the eventual disappointment.
The wall has a restriction for attackers too
When at least three defenders form a wall, attackers must stay at least one metre from it until the ball is in play. Standing among the defenders is not a permitted way to disrupt that wall.
The ball must be stationary before the kick and is live once kicked and clearly moving. A teammate can then supply the second touch for an indirect attempt. Simply putting a foot on a stationary ball does not establish that the restart has happened.
Offside still applies
Receiving directly from a free kick does not have the exemption that applies to a goal kick, corner or throw-in. Law 11 still governs an attacker’s involvement after a teammate plays the ball.
That leaves three separate checks for a free-kick goal: was the restart taken correctly, did an indirect kick receive another player’s touch, and did the scoring move comply with the offside rule? A legal second touch answers only the middle question.