During a penalty kick, what should the referee do if the ball enters the goal after the player uses stutter-steps without interrupting their approach?

When a player takes a penalty kick using stutter-steps, it is important to recognize that this motion is permissible as long as it does not involve any interruption or deliberate stopping that would cause a violation of the rules. The stutter-step is often used to create a timing advantage while still maintaining the player’s momentum toward the ball.

If the ball enters the goal following this legal stutter-step approach, the referee must allow the goal to stand. The rationale behind this is that the player has not violated any regulations pertaining to the penalty kick procedure—specifically, they have not engaged in any movement that would be considered misleading or unsporting. Upon scoring a goal from a correctly executed penalty kick, the game is restarted with a kickoff by the defending team. This reflects the proper enforcement of the rules governing penalty kicks and acknowledges the player's skillful execution of the attempt.

In contrast, scenarios involving a goal being disallowed or the game being restarted in other ways typically stem from violations of the penalty kick rules, such as an improper approach or encroachment, which are not applicable in this case. Therefore, the correct action here is to allow the goal to stand, leading to a kickoff by the defending team to resume play.