Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo was left deflated after ill-informed team officials misled the Super Eagles during the African Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea on Saturday.

Nigeria were 2-1 up in their AFCON clash with Guinea at the Abuja National Stadium, and would most likely have qualified as one of the best runners-up if that had been the final score.

However, Yobo has revealed team officials informed the players they needed to score three goals to qualify, which resulted in Nigeria going on an all-out attack.

The risky strategy left them exposed at the back and saw Guinea net an equaliser in stoppage time to bring an end to Nigeria’s AFCON dreams.

“We all went to attack because the officials told us we needed a third goal to ensure our qualification. That was our biggest undoing,” said Yobo.

A top official told MTNFootball that Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia was under the impression his team needed a 3-1 victory, which is why he brought on strikers Ekigho Ehiosun and Ikechukwu Uche in the second half.

The last time Nigeria failed to qualifiy for the African Cup of Nations was 25 years ago, when Zambia earned qualification in their stead.