Soccer-Di Santo magic steers Werder Bremen past Hertha

BERLIN, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Argentine Franco Di Santo scored two sublime goals to lead Werder Bremen to a 2-0 home victory over Hertha Berlin on Sunday and lift them further away from the relegation zone. The 25-year-old forward struck just before the break, after Werder dominated but had failed to convert several good chances, curling a shot from a tight angle past goalkeeper Thomas Kraft. He then killed off Hertha's growing momentum in the second half with a sensational volley in full flight in the 69th minute for his eighth goal of the campaign as Werder moved up to 12th on 20 points, three above the drop zone. Lacklustre Hertha, who were missing half a dozen players and have now won one of their last six league games, dropped to 15th on 18. Leaders Bayern Munich saw their gap cut to eight points after crashing to a 4-1 defeat at second-placed VfL Wolfsburg on Friday as the Bundesliga returned from its mid-season break. Last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund are in last place after a goalless draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Mark Meadows)