molodoy powers past FUT as FURIA book BLAST Bounty Finals spot

molodoy powers past FUT as FURIA book BLAST Bounty Finals spot

Danil “molodoy” Golubenko has picked up right where he left off in 2025, dragging FURIA over the line in the last online match-up of BLAST Bounty Season 1 and sealing the final ticket to the LAN Finals in Malta.

FURIA closed the series against FUT 2-1 — taking Anubis (13-10) and Dust2 (13-11) on either side of a heavy Overpass (5-13) defeat — but the margin of victory was far narrower than the scoreline suggests. In both of FURIA’s map wins, the Kazakh AWPer repeatedly came up with the kind of half-breaking impact rounds that turn shaky mid-rounds into winnable territory. 

On Anubis, molodoy’s opening half was the difference-maker. HLTV’s match report described him as “transcendent” early on, spearheading an exceptional T side and posting a 17-7 K-D with a 2.44 rating in the half as FUT’s preparation “crumbled” under the pressure. Even as FUT stabilized later through clutch moments, FURIA’s early cushion proved just enough to squeeze out the opener. 

Overpass flipped the script completely — and served as a reminder of how fragile even elite teams can look when their structure slips. FUT bullied FURIA’s defaults with proactive CT-side information plays and re-aggression, running away with the map before converting a late 2v5 to put the series on a knife-edge. 

Dust2 was where molodoy delivered the defining stretch. With FUT pushing ahead and threatening the upset, HLTV noted that “everything changed once molodoy had the AWP in hand,” as he locked down Middle and repeatedly disrupted FUT’s control attempts. A late surge — powered by molodoy’s multikills and supported by key rifling impact from yuurih — carried FURIA through the finish line. 

The performance continues a meteoric rise that has reshaped FURIA’s ceiling over the last year. molodoy was named HLTV’s Rookie of the Year for 2025 in the match coverage, and he recently placed #6 in HLTV’s Top 20 players of 2025, his first-ever appearance in the yearly list after a breakout season featuring multiple titles and MVP-level showings. 

The wider trend: youth is setting the pace — and kyousuke’s story is still evolving

If BLAST Bounty’s early matches have underlined one theme, it’s that young stars are no longer “next up” — they’re already deciding who survives. Few examples are as headline-worthy as Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin’s jump to tier one.

When kyousuke debuted for Falcons at IEM Cologne 2025, HLTV framed it bluntly: he was “one of the most talked-about players” despite it being his first tier-one match — and he “show[ed] he belongs in tier-one.” 
Falcons’ veteran core didn’t try to hide how much they were willing to bend roles to unlock him, either. In a post-match interview quoted by HLTV, NiKo said: “It’s a weird feeling I can call someone 11 years younger than me,” before adding that the team was happy to facilitate kyousuke’s aggressive style. 

Kyousuke himself, in his first HLTV interview after that debut win, insisted he wasn’t carrying the weight of expectations: “I don’t feel pressure like people are talking about, no. I don’t feel it.” 

But as Falcons move into the first LAN of 2026, his story has taken an abrupt turn: Falcons announced that kyousuke will miss the BLAST Bounty Finals in Malta due to “unresolved visa complications,” with academy player Matej “NucleonZ” Trajkoski called up as a replacement. 

For the LAN Finals, that creates an immediate “what if” hovering over one of the tournament’s most star-studded lineups — and it reinforces just how volatile early-season narratives can be. For FURIA, though, the picture is suddenly much clearer: with molodoy already swinging maps in January, they’ll arrive in Malta with both a seat at the table — and a sniper who looks ready to make it his.