Match EvidenceAn annotated match sheet
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Ball / denominator lens

Possession needs a clock.

Three states divide this deliberately limited window. A percentage without its measured period can look more complete than the observation really is.

Fictional 50-minute windowTeam A perspectiveFIFA-framework illustration, not a full-match scoreboard

An interval, not a final score

Illustration 03 / 50 observed minutes
36%In possession
18 of 50 min
54%Out of possession
27 of 50 min
10%Ball in contest
5 of 50 min
18 + 27 + 5 = 50 minutes36% + 54% + 10% = 100% of this window

Framework: FIFA Training Centre, Data analysis definitions (29 Jul 2024; accessed 26 Sep 2026). The 18/27/5 figures and derived shares are fictional, not FIFA match data or an Opta percentage.

A clear rectangular frame lying over blank observation paper
Conceptual desk photograph: a frame suggests a bounded observation window, not a measured duration or possession share. The fictional 50-minute interval and FIFA framework source remain above.

Recorded

18 ÷ 50 gives 36% of this observed window in possession for Team A. The other two states use the same 50-minute denominator. The FIFA framework distinguishes possession, out of possession and ball in contest.

Still unknown

These minutes do not cover a whole match, describe chance quality or establish a winner. More possession alone does not establish either: FIFA Training Centre, How important is possession? (9 Nov 2023; tournament analysis, not a Nigeria finding).

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