When does a football goal count? The whole-ball rule
A ball touching or partly crossing the goal line is not enough to establish a goal.
The entire ball must cross
IFAB Law 10 says a goal is scored when the whole ball passes over the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar, provided the scoring team has committed no offence. A ball partly over the line does not meet that requirement.
The goal frame and the line describe a three-dimensional boundary. A camera angle can make partial crossing look complete, so a screenshot alone may be insufficient to judge a close incident.
Entering the net is not every condition
A ball in the net can still be followed by a decision that no goal counts because of an offence or a restart restriction. A direct goalkeeper throw into the opponents' goal, for example, yields a goal kick under Law 10.
A hypothetical apparent goal at 1-1 is not safely 2-1 until the event is confirmed. A score feed can briefly show a goal before an official correction. Treat the match state as updateable, not a permanent verdict at first sight.
The final score decides the basic outcome
The side with more goals wins; equal goals or no goals produce a draw under the basic Law. Competition rules can prescribe a further winner-determining method where required. Do not assume all equal scores end the competition.
ScoreZaap separates live totals from confirmed results. This guide explains what a goal requires, without adjudicating a real goal-line review or inventing a scorer from an unexplained total change.