VIENNA, Austria — If Turkey has taught the rest of the soccer world one lesson, it's a simple one: keep playing.

The Turks did just that after surrendering what could have been a crushing goal to Croatia in the dying moments of extra time Friday night at the European Championship. And they produced yet another great escape.

The Turks advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 shootout victory over Croatia following a 1-1 draw through injury time. They barely got the tying goal that forced the penalty kicks, but then they won the shootout with relative ease.

"I tell my players never to give up," coach Fatih Terim said. "I tell them that they shouldn't be afraid of losing or conceding goals. This is football. You should never give up until the referee blows the final whistle."

Turkey will face Germany in the semifinals on Wednesday in Basel, Switzerland. Neither team won its first-round group.

After a 0-0 draw in regulation, the Croats seemingly won it when Ivan Klasnic put in a header in the 29th minute of extra time. Stunningly, Semih Senturk, who later scored in the shootout, got the equalizer with seconds remaining, scoring from just inside the area off a free kick taken by goalkeeper Rustu Recber from near midfield.

"There was no time to regret or worry about what had happened," Turkey midfielder Hamit Altintop said. "We would have time to weep after the referee had blown the final whistle, so we had to play without fear."

They have made a habit of that, coming from behind to beat Switzerland in the opening round, then scoring three times in the final 15 minutes — twice in three minutes near the end — to eliminate the Czech Republic and advance as runner-up in Group A.

With several regulars sidelined, including suspended goalkeeper Volkan Demirel, Turkey nearly was victimized by Recber's error that allowed Klasnic to score. Recber chased after a ball headed out of bounds, and Luka Modric passed it to Klasnic for a short header.

But the Turks had another dramatic strike in them.

"To lose a lead in such a short space of time would be a blow to any team. I knew they would be feeling it psychologically," Terim said of the Croats.

After that, Modric and Ivan Rakitic shot wide in the shootout, Turkey made its first three tries, and Recber dived left to save a penalty shot from Mladen Petric to clinch it.

Arda Turan, Senturk and Hamit Altintop scored for Turkey in the shootout. Darijo Srna got Croatia's only shootout goal.

"It seemed like the match was over, then to concede a goal, then go on to penalties, gave a psychological advantage to the Turks," Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said. "This certainly isn't going to be easy to forget. Not only will we not forget this, this will haunt me for the rest of my life."

Police and first aid workers said more than a dozen Croatia fans needed medical treatment after Turkish supporters attacked them in the final minutes of the match. The violence erupted in the main fan zone next to Vienna's City Hall. No major injuries were reported.

Klasnic is the first player to appear in Euros after needing a kidney replacement. He had one donated by his father, and returned to play in the Bundesliga before joining the national team.

Until the final moments, it was a low quality match marked by defensive caution. The depleted Turkish team restricted Croatia to few opportunities by pressing in midfield and not allowing the Croats time on the ball. And Croatia, which won Group B, showed little of the attacking flair it used to beat Germany in the opening round.

"I congratulate the guys, ours and the Turks," Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said. "That's why football is the best, the most dramatic sport on earth."