Can a goalkeeper kick the ball back into the penalty area and subsequently pick it up?

The rules of soccer state that a goalkeeper is not permitted to handle the ball if it has been deliberately kicked to them by a teammate. However, if a goalkeeper kicks the ball into the penalty area, they are allowed to handle the ball if it has not been deliberately passed back to them by a teammate; instead, it may be the case that the ball has been unintentionally deflected or misplayed. In this scenario, as long as the ball has not been intentionally kicked back by a teammate, the goalkeeper can legally kick the ball and subsequently pick it up without infringing any laws of the game.

Understanding the context of this rule clarifies that if the scenario involves the ball being purposefully played back to the goalkeeper by a teammate, the goalkeeper would not be able to pick it up again. Additionally, the pressure from opposing players or the timing of game restarts has no bearing on this specific rule regarding the action of the goalkeeper, reinforcing that the governing principle hinges on whether the ball was deliberately passed back.