Portugal Could Still Become the Next Greece

His face bruised and bloodied, Carlos Palma puffs up his chest and braces himself to face the gleaming black bull pawing the ground a few meters away in Lisbonâ??s ornate Campo Pequeno bullring. Seconds later the 1,200-pound beast charges, ramming Palma square in the chest and hurling him backward as he clings on between the bullâ??s leather-sheathed horns, a daring maneuver known as the pega, or catch. Then, Palma and his teammates on the forcados, an eight-man group sometimes called â??the suicide squad,â? surround the animal and subdue it, eschewing the fatal stab of a Spanish matador. This style of bullfighting is a distinctively Portuguese spectacle that relies on courage, teamwork and brute strength to overcome a seemingly unstoppable opponent.